A foraging Pygmy Shrew (Sorex minutus).. - stock photo

A foraging Pygmy Shrew (Sorex minutus). Size: Pygmy Shrew 40-60 mm; tail 32-46 mm the Common Shrew size that I posted before being Size: 48-80mm, tail 24-44mm; tail less than 3/4 length of head and body. Weight: 2.4-6.1g. Weight may decrease up to 28% in winter. Diet: They feed mainly on insects, arachnids and woodlice, requiring regular meals and eating up to 125% of their body weight in food daily. Unlike common shrews, they rarely eat earthworms. Lifespan: Peak mortality is at 2-4 months and the maximum lifespan is around 13 months. Origin & Distribution: Widespread throughout the mainland of Britain and Ireland, in most terrestrial habitats which offer sufficient ground cover. They are also found on the Isle of Man and Outer Hebrides, where common shrews are absent. Pygmy shrews are active day and night, largely above ground. They make and use "surface tunnels" in vegetation and will frequent burrows dug by other animals. They seem to be relatively more common on moorland than are common shrews. Habitat: Urban & gardens Deciduous woodland Grassland Mixed woodland Arable land Behaviour: As in all shrews, senses of smell, hearing and touch are well-developed. Pygmy shrews are solitary and aggressive towards conspecifics. Home ranges vary from around 500-2000 square metres, depending on habitat, with maximum densities of around 12 per hectare. Strict territoriality is only abandoned during the breeding season. Breeding: Pygmy shrews overwinter as immatures and breed between April and October, producing two or three litters of 5-7 young. Their main predators are owls and other avian predators, particularly those which hunt on moorland.