| Southern short-tailed shrew[1] | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Blarina |
| Species: | B. carolinensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Blarina carolinensis (Bachman, 1837) | |
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| Southern short-tailed shrew range | |
| Synonyms | |
Blarina brevicauda carolinensis | |
Thesouthern short-tailed shrew (Blarina carolinensis) is a gray, short-tailedshrew that inhabits theeastern United States.[3]
The southern short-tailed shrew is the smallest shrew in itsgenus, measuring 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) in total length, and weighing less than 14 g (0.5 oz). It has a comparatively heavy body, with short limbs and a thick neck, a long, pointed snout and ears that are nearly concealed by its soft, dense fur. As its name indicates, the hairy tail is relatively short, measuring 1.2 to 2.5 cm (0.5 to 1.0 in). The feet are adapted for digging, with five toes ending in sharp, curved claws. The fur is slate gray, being paler on the underparts.[4]
The southern short-tailed shrew is found in the southeasternUnited States, from southernVirginia to easternTexas, to central Oklahoma, and in the Mississippi valley as far as southernIllinois. Within this region, it is found primarily inpine forests.[4] However, these range from dry to wet and even swampy habitats, as well as disturbed forests and abandoned agricultural land.[5]
There are two recognized subspecies:[4]
Fossils of the species are known from thePleistocene, during which time they may have spread as far north asSouth Dakota.[4]
The southern short-tailed shrew's diet consists of insects,annelids,hypogeous fungi, slugs and snails,centipedes, and spiders. Known predators include snakes, hawks, owls, and foxes.[4] It has been known to storesnails for the winter.[citation needed] The saliva isvenomous and is injected into the wounds of its prey by the teeth. Its venom is strong enough to killmice, but is not lethal to humans, though it causes severe pain.[6]
The short-tailed shrew has a high metabolism and eats about half its body weight in a day. It navigates and locates prey by echolocation.[7]
The southern short-tailed shrew is a social animal; it has been known to share its burrow systems with several individuals. Themale and female live together during the prebreeding season. The burrows are built in two layers, one near the surface, and a deeper one joined below it. The burrows are often built below logs, which can be penetrated and honeycombed if the log is rotten.[8]
The breeding season lasts from March to November, and females have two or three litters per year.[4] The gestation period lasts from 21 to 30 days,[citation needed] and each litter consists of two to six young.[4] The young are reared in nests of grasses and leaves at the end of a tunnel reaching about 30 cm (12 in) below the ground, or in rotten logs.[4] These nests for the young are much larger than the adults' resting nests.[citation needed]
In Florida, southern short-tailed shrews may be eaten by some growth stage of invasive snakes such asBurmese pythons,reticulated pythons,Central African rock pythons,Southern African rock pythons,boa constrictors,yellow anacondas,Bolivian anacondas,dark-spotted anacondas, andgreen anacondas.[9]
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