Mouse with a long nose: name, description of the species

Do you know a little mouse with a long nose? If not, we will now talk about it. Such a pet really exists in nature. What is the name of the mouse with a long nose? In the people it is called a shrew. What is this animal? Shrewmakers are mammals, insectivores. This family includes more than 20 genera and 300 species. Consider the most common types.

Shrew shrew

What other mice with a long nose are known (photos of themwill be presented in the article)? These shrews are small animals, resembling ordinary mice, only with more elongated noses, a long tail and sharp teeth. Their body is about 7-10 cm long, and their tail is 4-5 cm.

On top of the animal is dark brown, on the sidesbrown. The abdomen is grayish white. On the tail is a short, thick fur. Fluffy fur coat covers both ears, often only their tips are visible. Long mustache. There are several differences in color.

Shrew is found in underground burrows. Often, these are the abandoned dwellings of moles or mice that the animal takes, if after long searches it does not find a free cleft.

In soft soil, she pushes herself along the surface with the necessary passages with her nose-proboscis and forelegs.

This mouse with a long nose lives in manyEuropean countries and in Russia, settling in the mountains, gardens, fields. You can also see it and close to settlements - villages and villages. Here in winter for her ideal environment - nearby warm sheds. A prerequisite - its hole should be near the water source.

Lifestyle and food shrews

Shrew - an animal is rather nocturnal, like manyspecies of this family. In a strong heat, she never leaves her hole, as high temperatures cause her obviously painful sensations. There are cases when found dead shrews - this is the result of the influence of sunlight. It is likely that the sun blinds them, and they can not find their way to their burrow.

All shrews are terrible gluttons. Therefore, their main occupation is the search for food. Over time they can eat fodder 2-3 times more than their own weight. Shrew is constantly turning the proboscis in search of food. In the end, after catching sharp teeth even a large prey, he will not let her go. The named animal eats even its dead brethren and cubs.

Shrews are very uncommunicative and at someincomprehensible for them the situation immediately hides in the hole. In this they are similar to moles. These animals never get along with others, and even with their congeners. Except for the mating period.

In the hope of eating each other, between the shrewsthere are sometimes long battles - they stubbornly roll on the ground, clutching each other's teeth. Researchers in this regard joke about how good it is that these animals are small in size, otherwise they would quickly eat everyone on the ground and, in the end, would die of hunger themselves.

Pregnancy, cubs

A pregnant shrew is carefully prepared forthe offspring. She lined her hole with dry leaves and grass so that a rather soft litter would turn out. In May-July there are about 6-10 cubs. At first the mother takes care of them with trembling and care, but very quickly her love passes. Then the young themselves go in search of food.

Shrew is very active and agile - very fastruns, jumps far and even floats, if necessary. She makes a whistling sound. Has a highly developed sense of smell, and vision and hearing are most likely never guided.

Danger to the shovel

Not many animals ate the described mousewith a long nose. So, when a cat is found, it catches only. And snakes and birds of prey devour shrews. Most likely, many animals do not eat these animals because of a sharp unpleasant smell. And it is so corrosive that it remains in every place where the shrew visited.

Shrewshark ordinary long-tailed (house shrew)

Another mouse with a long nose - shrewcommon long-tailed. It is a small animal with a body length of 7-8 cm and a tail of 4-5 cm. Fur on the top and sides brown, and on the abdomen it is light gray. On the paws is a brown-white pile. The upper part of the tail is dark gray, the lower part is gray. The animal has 28 teeth.

From Africa, this species gradually spreadacross Europe, including the north of Russia. The long-tailed shrew is also found in Siberia and the countries of Asia. This animal comes across in groves and forests extremely rarely, as it prefers fields, gardens and kitchen gardens.

The long-tailed shrew has a secondthe name "house shrew". No other species will ever quietly walk about the human dwelling. It is successfully built in basements, cellars, pantries, settling in some dark corner, which is more or less safe. On the hunt can go out at any time of the day or night. In the wild, he prefers mammals, and in the houses he arranges himself a "feast of the stomach", choosing what is tastier and fatter - fat, meat, butter, sour cream. Other habits and customs of the domestic shrew are no different from other species.

An interesting behavior of her brood was noticed -small animals move after the mother with an even link, holding tenaciously the tip of the tail coming in front. This feature in other shrews is almost not manifested.

Small belly

There is another mouse with a long nose. The name "small white belly" indicates that this mammal is very small in size. Its length is only 6 cm, of which 2 cm is the tail. The body of the animal is covered with soft fur. Above brownish-red color, bottom gray.

Paws and proboscis dark maroon. The paws are covered with light hairs. It is noteworthy that this species has large ears in relation to the body.
This mouse with a long nose is found in many countries - Italy, France, northern Africa, as well as in Russian cities on the Black Sea coast.

The way of life of the baby is similar to its relatives. It lives in fields, gardens, near villages. But it is more sensitive to low temperatures.

Shabby ordinary (water shrew)

If you are interested in a mouse with a long nose, thenpay attention to the curator. It has a variety of colors and belongs to large types of shrews. Basically, the back is velvety black, and the belly is silvery white.

Body length, on average, 12 cm, tail - 5.5 cm. Her thick hair does not get wet in the water. Zverek has 30 teeth. On the fingers elastic bristles that help with swimming, creating the effect of the membranes. The tail has the appearance of a crest, which is also an indicator of its aquatic life style.

The water curator lives in France, Norway, Great Britain, Scandinavia, right up to the shores of the Arctic Ocean. And also in Eastern Europe and China.

This animal lives in floodplain meadows, near swamps. Favorite places of a water shrew are the banks of ponds, lakes and rivers, overgrown with reeds. She quickly swims, dives deeply.

It feeds on waterworms, insects, beetles,frogs, fish and fish caviar. In the cold period makes reserves in its hole. The main time spends in the water, but on land it behaves quite confidently.

Conclusion

Now you know what the name of the animal is likeon a mouse with a long nose. We examined different species. Described the basic characteristics of shrews. And we hope that the information considered in the article was useful to you.