Merriam's Shrew
Sorex merriami
Summary 7
Merriam's shrew (Sorex merriami) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the western United States and southern British Columbia in Canada.
Description 8
"Merriam's Shrew is noted for its predilection for dry habitats. It is most often found in sagebrush steppe, but also in grassland, brushland, and woodland, at elevations from 200 m to 2,900 m. It preys on beetles, spiders, caterpillars, crickets, and wasps, and probably on many other terrestrial invertebrates. This shrew has a grayish-brown back, paler flanks, and a nearly white underside. The tail shows the same strong bicoloration. Owls are known to prey on shrews, but some mammals eat them only if they have no other food available, because of their pungent smell."
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
Sources and Credits
- (c) Jeremy Yoder, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/87484925@N00/3952186582
- (c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/ADW_mammals/specimens/Soricomorpha/Soricidae/Sorex/Sorex_merriami/lower_dorsal8542/medium.jpg
- (c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/ADW_mammals/specimens/Soricomorpha/Soricidae/Sorex/Sorex_merriami/lower_lateral8541/medium.jpg
- (c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/ADW_mammals/specimens/Soricomorpha/Soricidae/Sorex/Sorex_merriami/ltr8542/medium.jpg
- (c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/ADW_mammals/specimens/Soricomorpha/Soricidae/Sorex/Sorex_merriami/utr8539/medium.jpg
- (c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/ADW_mammals/specimens/Soricomorpha/Soricidae/Sorex/Sorex_merriami/ventral8539/medium.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorex_merriami
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/16146974
