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Etruscan Shrew
Description
Shrews are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla.There appearence is generally like a long-nosed mouse.They have an ability to paralyse their prey larger than itself.
Etruscan shrew
The Etruscan shrew e smallest terrestrial mammal on earth.And it has a heart rate that can reach 1500 beats per minute.They have an ability to paralyse their prey larger than itself.They are greyish-brown in colour.Shrews have been recorded making 12 body movements per second.And if a shrew doesn’t eat within a few hours, it dies .So they have to eat a lot.A shrew’s heart rate beats 800 to 1000 times per minute.
Classification
Scientific name - Suncus etruscus
Order- Eulipotyphla
Family- Soricidae
Kingdom- Animallia
Class- Mammalia
phylum - Chordata
Genus- Suncus
Distribution
It's been introduced by humans to some European islands, such as Canary Islands.It's not very rare but hard to see .They're commonly known to be in Europe, Malaysia ,North and East Africa, Arabian peninsular and also in some Asian countries.They favor warm and damp habitats which covered with shrubs.Their usually inhabited in grassland and scrub meet deciduous forests.They arrange their nests at natural shelters .
Countries
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus,France, Macedonia, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia,
Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey,China.
These mammals have long snouts,and mouse -like ears and a long tail.They are solitary animals who lives along except in the mating periods.Their reproduction season is from March to October.And a female (saw) can give birth to 2-6 babies .Shrewlets are born blind,open eyes at 14 -16 days .The mother moves when the young are 9-10 days old
Etruscan Shrews are having some threats because of farming and other human activities .They are sensitive for weather changes like cold and dry periods are also a big risk for them,cause they are sensitive to such changes.
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