Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 6, 1994                   TAG: 9402070255
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Patricia Held
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DON'T LET THE SHREW'S SIZE FOOL YOU

Among the tiniest of our local mammals, shrews have the courage and fierceness of a tiger. Closely related to the mole, shrews look like a cross between a mouse and a mole. Both the mole and the shrew are primarily insect eaters and belong to the order f-b f+iinsectivora.o

Most shrew species are smaller than mice. Other characteristics include a long, pointed face, concealed ears and tiny, beady eyes.

The smallest mammal found in North America is a member of the shrew family. The pygmy shrew weighs a little over one tenth of an ounce, which is about the weight of a dime. These tiny animals are found in Western Virginia as well as in some of the more northern states.

The most common species of shrews in our area include the large (or northern) short-tailed shrew and least shrew. The least shrew is three to four inches long (including tail) and is noted by its cinnamon color and short tail.

Larger in size (about five inches), the northern short-tailed shrew has soft and velvety gray fur and a very short tail. It can easily eat a mouse larger than itself. In winter this shrew is sometimes found wandering over the snow and ice. Both slow and awkward, it is frequent prey for other animals.

While there are a variety of species of shrews in our area, most of us probably have never seen one. Shrews spend most of their lives beneath the grass and leaf litter. Their eyesight is poor, but what they lack in their ability to see they more than make up for with their other senses. Shrews are well-suited for their predatory lifestyle.

Sometimes shrews are prey for larger animals. But they emit a disagreeable odor, and many animals will not eat them. While cats will often kill shrews, rarely will they actually consume one.

The shrew's fierceness is necessary for its survival. Readily described as a little bundle of energy, it has a high metabolic rate.

Because the shrew is always in motion, its nervous energy needs constant refueling. The shrew can really never rest. It must always be in search of food to satisfy its never-ending pangs of hunger. A shrew must consume well over its weight in food per day. If forced to fast for more than a few hours, it risks certain death from starvation.

Although their appetites seem never to be satisfied, shrews feed on many different foods. Their diet includes insects, earthworms, snails, salamanders, snakes, ice and even other shrews. Shrews will even invade a rat's nest and eat the young.

Of all these choices, their primary sources of food are insects. Caterpillars, grubs, beetles, grasshoppers and other small invertebrates make up most of their diet. Because of the shrews' voracious appetite and preference for insects, they are an asset to anyone's garden. A tiny insect machine, the shrew is an efficient and effective control against many insect pests.

Patricia Held will respond to readers' questions on the plant and animal wildlife in the region. Mail inquiries to: Patricia Held, P.O. Box 65, Goode,

Patricia Held is a Bedford County free-lance writer and author specializing in natural history.