Crawford's Gray Shrew
Notiosorex crawfordi
Summary 4
Crawford's gray shrew, Notiosorex crawfordi, also known as the desert shrew, is a small shrew found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is a member of the order Soricomorpha and the family Soricidae. It is was the only known member of the genus Notiosorex until two species, N. villai distributed in Tamaulipas, Mexico, and N. evotis distributed along the northwest coast of Mexico, were named. A fourth distinct species, N. cockrumi, was discovered...
Description 5
These shrews live in deserts, but they seek out moister microhabitats within them, such as brushpiles or fallen logs. They have been found in beehives, and their tiny, golfball-sized nests have been found in dens built by—and sometimes still occupied by—woodrats. Captive individuals ate a variety of insects, including cockroaches, beetles, mealworms, and moths, and also accepted carrion. They would not attack live rodents, or eat salamanders, earthworms, or scorpions. Crawford’s Gray Shrews give birth to litters of 3 to 5 relatively helpless, but rapidly maturing, young, which leave the nest by six weeks of age.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
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Sources and Credits
- (c) J. N. Stuart, all rights reserved, uploaded by J. N. Stuart, http://www.flickr.com/photos/21786539@N03/6218335727
- (c) Patricia Simpson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Patricia Simpson
- (c) Diana-Terry Hibbitts, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Diana-Terry Hibbitts
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notiosorex_crawfordi
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/6625239
