Weighing less than 3 g, the Etruscan shrew is the smallest known mammal on earth. A very high metabolism means that a shrew can eat up to two times its body weight.
It is able to get so much food because its excellent reflexes and highly fibrous muscles help it catch even the fastest of insects.
Etruscan shrews are solitary and territorial animals. They live alone, except during mating periods. They protect their territories by making chirping noises and signs of aggressiveness. Etruscan shrews tend to groom themselves constantly when not eating, and are always moving when awake and not hiding. The hiding periods are short and typically last less than half an hour. Clicking sounds are heard when these animals are moving, which cease when they rest. Etruscan shrews are more active during the night when they make long trips; during the day, they stay near the nest or in a hiding place. When hunting, Etruscan shrews mostly rely on their sense of touch rather than vision, and may even run into their food at night. In cold seasons and during shortages of food, these animals lower their body temperatures down and enter a state of temporary hibernation (torpor) to reduce energy consumption.
Etruscan shrews occur from Europe and North Africa up to Malaysia. They are also found in the Maltese islands, situated in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. These small animals favor warm and damp habitats covered with shrubs, which they use to hide from predators. Areas, where open terrain such as grasslands and scrub meet deciduous forests, are usually inhabited. They can be found at sea level but are usually confined to the foothills and lower belts of mountain ranges. Etruscan shrews colonize riparian thickets along the banks of lakes and rivers, as well as human-cultivated areas (abandoned gardens, orchards, vineyards, olive groves, and edges of fields). They are poorly adapted to digging burrows, so arrange their nests in various natural shelters, crevices, and abandoned burrows of other animals. Etruscan shrews frequent rocks, boulders, stone walls, and ruins, darting quickly in and out between them.
Etruscan shrews are omnivores. They feed mostly on various invertebrates, including insects, larvae, and earthworms, as well as the young of amphibians, lizards, and rodents, and can hunt prey of nearly the same body size as themselves.
Etruscan shrews occur from Europe and North Africa up to Malaysia. They are also found in the Maltese islands, situated in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. These small animals favor warm and damp habitats covered with shrubs, which they use to hide from predators. Areas, where open terrain such as grasslands and scrub meet deciduous forests, are usually inhabited. They can be found at sea level but are usually confined to the foothills and lower belts of mountain ranges. Etruscan shrews colonize riparian thickets along the banks of lakes and rivers, as well as human-cultivated areas (abandoned gardens, orchards, vineyards, olive groves, and edges of fields). They are poorly adapted to digging burrows, so arrange their nests in various natural shelters, crevices, and abandoned burrows of other animals. Etruscan shrews frequent rocks, boulders, stone walls, and ruins, darting quickly in and out between them.
Credit : Anamalia
Picture Credit : Google