Smoky Shrew
Encyclopedia
The Smoky Shrew, Sorex fumeus, is a medium-sized North America
n shrew
found in eastern Canada
and the northeastern United States
.
It is dull grey in colour with lighter underparts and a long tail which is brown on top and yellowish underneath. During winter, its fur is grey. Its body is about 11 cm in length including a 4 cm long tail and it weighs about 5 g.
This animal is found near streams in cool damp deciduous
and mixed woods. Its range extends further south along the Appalachian Mountains
. It makes extensive burrows in the leaf litter on the forest floor. It also uses tunnels created by moles or other shrews.
Its diet is insects, earthworms, snails and small rodents. Predators include owl
s, snakes and mustelids.
This animal is active year-round. The female has 2 to 3 litters of 5 to 7 young in a nest in a stump or under a log.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n shrew
Shrew
A shrew or shrew mouse is a small molelike mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha. True shrews are also not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders.Although its external appearance is generally that of...
found in eastern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the northeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It is dull grey in colour with lighter underparts and a long tail which is brown on top and yellowish underneath. During winter, its fur is grey. Its body is about 11 cm in length including a 4 cm long tail and it weighs about 5 g.
This animal is found near streams in cool damp deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
and mixed woods. Its range extends further south along the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
. It makes extensive burrows in the leaf litter on the forest floor. It also uses tunnels created by moles or other shrews.
Its diet is insects, earthworms, snails and small rodents. Predators include owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s, snakes and mustelids.
This animal is active year-round. The female has 2 to 3 litters of 5 to 7 young in a nest in a stump or under a log.
Subspecies
This species has two recognized subspecies:- Sorex fumeus fumeus
- Sorex fumeus umbrosus