Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi)

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Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi)

Photo credit: University of Michigan

Length: 3 1/8-3 7/8 in.
Habitat: Deep woods, open and brushy fields;sphagnum-moss logs.
Range: Alaska, most of Canada, and norhtern United States.

The Pygmy Shrew is one of the rarest North American mammals, and little is known of its behavior in the field. It forages among dead plant matter, probably feeding on insects and insect larvae, and other invertebrates. This tiny animals weighs no more than a dime. If you took a single claw of the Kodiak bear, it would provide more than enough space to cradle a pygmy shew, North America's smallest mammal.

The Pygmy Shrew is a tireless hunter. Though it may not appear threatening, for earthworms and grasshoppers it is a real predator. This short-legged, long-snouted meat eater moves so fast in its quest for food that its heart rate can reach 1,000 beats per minute. Hunting in all houts and all seasons, a pygmy shrew must find and devour the equivalent of its body weight every 24 hours just to stay alive.