Do you know a small mouse with a long nose? If not, then we will talk about it now. Such an animal really exists in nature. What is the name of a mouse with a long nose? People call it shrew. What kind of animal is this? Shrews are mammals, insectivores. This family includes more than 20 genera and 300 species. Consider its most common types.
Common shrew
What other mice with a long nose are known (a photo of them will be presented in the article)? These are shrews - small animals that look like ordinary mice, only with more elongated noses, a long tail and sharp teeth. Their body is about 7-10 cm long, and their tail is 4-5 cm.
The animal is dark brown above, brown on the sides. The abdomen is grayish-white. On the tail is a short, thick fur. A fluffy coat also covers the ears, often only their tips are visible. Long mustache. There are several differences in color.
Shrew lives in underground burrows. Often, these are abandoned dwellings of moles or mice, which the animal occupies if, after a long search, it does not find a free crevice.
In soft soil, it paves the necessary moves along the surface with its nose-proboscis and forepaws.
This mouse with a long nose lives in many European countries and in Russia, settling in the mountains, gardens, fields. You can also see it in the vicinity of settlements - villages and villages. Here, in winter, the ideal environment for her is warm barn nearby. A prerequisite is that its hole should be near the source of water.
Shrew lifestyle and nutrition
A shrew is an animal rather nocturnal, like many species of this family. In extreme heat, she never leaves her hole, as high temperatures cause her obviously painful sensations. There are cases when dead shrews were found - this is the result of the influence of sunlight. It is likely that the sun blinds them and they cannot find their way into their hole.
All shrews are terrible gluttons. Therefore, their main occupation is the search for food. At a time, they can eat feed 2-3 times their own weight. The shrew constantly twirls its proboscis in search of food. As a result, having caught with his sharp teeth even large prey, he will not let her go. The named animal eats even its dead counterparts and cubs.
Shrews are very unsociable and in any situation that is not clear to them, they immediately hide in a hole. In this they are similar to moles. These animals never get along with others, and even with their relatives. Except for the mating period.
In the hope of eating each other, sometimes long battles take place between shrews - they stubbornly roll on the ground, clutching each other's teeth. Researchers on this occasion joke about how good it is that these animals are small in size, otherwise they would quickly eat everyone on earth and, as a result, would die of starvation themselves.
Pregnancy, cubs
A pregnant shrew is carefully preparing for offspring. She lines her hole with dry leaves and grass so that a rather soft litter is obtained. In May-July, about 6-10 cubs appear. At first, the mother cares for them with trepidation and care, but very quickly her love passes. Then the cubs themselves go in search of food.
The shrew is very active and agile - it runs very fast, jumps far and even swims, if necessary. She makes whistling sounds. It has a strongly developed sense of smell, and most likely it is never guided by vision and hearing.
Danger to shrew
Not many animals eat the described mouse with a long nose. So, cats are only strangled upon detection. And snakes and birds of prey devour shrews. Most likely, many animals do not eat these animals because of a sharp unpleasant smell. Moreover, it is so corrosive that it remains in every place where the shrew visited.
Long-tailed Shrew (House Shrew)
Another mouse with a long nose is an ordinary long-tailed shrew. This is an animal with a body length of 7-8 cm, and a tail of 4-5 cm. The fur at the top and sides is brown, and on the abdomen is light gray. On the paws brownish-white pile. The upper part of the tail is dark gray, the lower part is gray. Has an animal of 28 teeth.
From Africa, this species gradually spread throughout Europe, including the north of Russia. Long-tailed shrew lives also in Siberia and the countries of Asia. This animal is rarely found in groves and forests, as it prefers fields, gardens and vegetable gardens.
It is not for nothing that the long-tailed shrew has the second name "house shrew". No other species will ever calmly walk around a human dwelling. She successfully attaches to basements, cellars, pantries, settling in some dark corner, which is more or less safe. It can go hunting at any time of the day or night. In the wild, he prefers mammals, and in his houses he arranges a “feast of the stomach”, choosing what is tastier and fatter - lard, meat, butter, sour cream. Other habits and customs of a house shrew are no different from other species.
An interesting behavior of her brood was noticed - small animals move after the mother in an even link, holding tenacious teeth with the tip of the tail leading in front. This feature is almost not shown in other shrews.
Small shrew
There is another mouse with a long nose. The name "small shrew" indicates that this mammal is very small. Its length is only 6 cm, of which 2 cm is the tail. The body of the animal is covered with soft fur. Brownish red color above, gray below.
Paws and proboscis maroon. Paws are covered with light hairs. It is noteworthy that this species has large ears in relation to the body.
This mouse with a long nose is found in many countries - Italy, France, northern Africa, as well as in Russian cities located on the Black Sea coast.
The baby’s lifestyle is similar to her relatives. She lives in fields, gardens, near villages. But more sensitive to low temperatures.
Kutora ordinary (water shrew)
If you are interested in a mouse with a long nose, then pay attention to the mouse. It has a variety of colors and belongs to large species of shrews. Basically, her back is velvety black, and the belly is silver-white.
The length of the body is, on average, 12 cm, of the tail - 5.5 cm. Its thick hair does not get wet in the water. The animal has 30 teeth. On the fingers are elastic bristles that help when swimming, creating the effect of membranes. The tail has the appearance of a ridge, which is also an indicator of its aquatic lifestyle.
The water boat lives in France, Norway, Great Britain, Scandinavia, right up to the very shores of the Arctic Ocean. And also in eastern Europe and China.
This animal lives in floodplain meadows, near swamps. Favorite places of a water shrew are the banks of ponds, lakes and rivers overgrown with reeds. She swims quickly, dives deeply.
It feeds on waterworms, insects, bugs, frogs, fish and fish caviar. For the cold period, makes reserves in its hole. Most of the time he spends in water, but also behaves quite confidently on land.
