Common shrew

Sorex araneus

Not bad-tempered or aggressive, nature's common shrew won't need taming. Smaller than a house mouse, the shrew is a solitary and elusive character, avoiding other shrews except during breeding.

Shrews have long, pointy noses which move around and small, beady eyes. Everything about them is small, in fact - their average body length is 6cm, and they weigh between 5g and 12g. Their fur is dark brown with a paler underbelly. They may look cute, but they're littler killers, feeding off insects, spiders and worms. Natural predators include owls, stoats, weasels and foxes. Shrews use their smell and hearing (their eyesight is poor) to hunt. They live for about two years.

Where they live

In woodland, grassland and hedgerows all over Britain. Shrews spend a lot of their time underground, but are active feeding day and night. They can dig up to 12cm deep in the pursuit of food. Their nests are below ground or under dense vegetation.The Wicken Fen National Trust site in Cambridgeshire is thriving with common shrews and you can also see them in the Stour valley on the Essex/Suffolk border. There are also shrew populations at Elmley RSPB reserve in Kent, Parkgate RSPB reserve in the Wirral, Gowy Meadows, north of Chester. Bubwith Acres, just south of Cheddar Gorge, in Somerset is another hotspot.

How to spot them

The breeding season is from April to September and the females have about six to seven young in each litter, with up to four litters a year. Look out for young common shrew following their mother using their mouths to hold on to the tail of the sibling in front - tiny little caravans of shrews.

Listen out for

The common shrew make a series of squeaks and shrills when defending its territory, so you are more likely to hear the shrew before you see it.

Did you know?

A common shrew consumes up to 90% of its body weight in food each day.

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