An Eurasian Pygmy Shrew (I was unable to find an American Pygmy Shrew but they have a similar appearance)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nToday we are going to stick with the smaller mammals of the Canadian Rockies as we delve into the life of the Pygmy Shrew.\u00a0 There are a few different Pygmy Shrews out there but we will be looking at the American Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi<\/em>) in today’s Wild Fact.\u00a0 Similar to the rest of the animals this week this shrew can be found from Alaska, through northwestern Canada and into the northern United States.\u00a0 These little shrews can also be found in other areas of North America such as Ontario and throughout the Appalachian Mountain Range.<\/p>\nThe Pygmy Shrew is known to be one of the smallest mammals on this planet we call Earth.\u00a0 They reach an average length of 83 – 95 mm (3.25 – 3.75″) and weigh between 2.7 – 5.1 grams (.095 – 1.8 oz).\u00a0 As you can imagine, when you are this small you will have numerous predators.\u00a0 Of course this is the case for this tiny shrew.\u00a0 They are susceptible to attacks from hawks, owls, snakes, cats, among many other animals.\u00a0 The Pygmy Shrew is able to defend themselves from these attacks by heading underground.\u00a0 They will spend much of their lives in the underground world where they are active day and night all year long.\u00a0 Throughout this time they will take short naps to recharge from the day’s activities.<\/p>\n
Since they spend the majority of their time undergound the shrew will usually feed on the adult and larvae forms of insects as well as some worms, snails and slugs every now and again.\u00a0 One study found that an immature female actually consumed more than 3 times her body weight in one day.\u00a0 I would say that is a lot of food but when you look at how small their bodies are it becomes less impressive.<\/p>\n
Pygmy Shrew Fast Fact – <\/strong>I was rather surprised to find out that the Pygmy Shrew was first identified by William Cane in Parry Sound, Ontario.\u00a0 I was amused and surprised since I use to live in Parry Sound before moving up north to the Yukon.\u00a0 I guess I should have been looking harder to try and identify a new species of animal! Oh well, I guess I will know better next time.<\/p>\nThat does it for the mid-week Wild Fact.\u00a0 Be sure to tune in tomorrow as I have a special surprise for all of my readers.\u00a0 Enjoy the rest of your day!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today we are going to stick with the smaller mammals of the Canadian Rockies as we delve into the life of the Pygmy Shrew.\u00a0 There are a few different Pygmy Shrews out there but we will be looking at the American Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi) in today’s Wild Fact.\u00a0 Similar to the rest of the animals this week this shrew can be found from Alaska, through northwestern Canada and into the northern United States.\u00a0 These little shrews can also be found in other areas of North America such as Ontario and throughout the Appalachian Mountain Range. The Pygmy Shrew is <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1264,60,4024],"tags":[1275,348,1274,4025,1272,732,733,1273],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wild-facts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/Eurasian-Pygmy-Shrew.jpg\" "\\"Eurasian")
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