Wildlifeof China
Eurasian Least Shrew
Pangolins, Treeshrews, Shrews & Gymnures
Photo: XX Vulzok Xx · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sorex minutissimus
Basic stats
Diet
Tiny insects, spiders and other invertebrates
Habitat
Taiga, tundra, meadow, marsh and forest edge
Range
Northern Eurasia from Scandinavia to eastern Siberia and northern China
Size
Approximately 3.5–5.3cm head-and-body length
Weight
Approximately 1.2–4g
The Eurasian least shrew is among the world's smallest mammals by mass. It has a sharply pointed muzzle, minute eyes and dense brownish-grey fur, with a head-and-body length of roughly 3.5–5.3cm and a weight sometimes little more than 1g. Its range crosses northern Eurasia into northern China. (Wikipedia, general species account)
It occupies taiga, tundra, meadow, marsh and forest edge. The shrew hunts tiny insects, spiders and other invertebrates almost continuously, reflecting its high metabolic demands. It remains active through winter beneath vegetation, litter or snow. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Quick answers
- What does the Eurasian Least Shrew eat?
- Tiny insects, spiders and other invertebrates
- What habitat does the Eurasian Least Shrew live in?
- Taiga, tundra, meadow, marsh and forest edge
- Where is the Eurasian Least Shrew found?
- Northern Eurasia from Scandinavia to eastern Siberia and northern China
- How big is the Eurasian Least Shrew?
- Approximately 3.5–5.3cm head-and-body length
- How much does the Eurasian Least Shrew weigh?
- Approximately 1.2–4g