Common Names
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Common Names in English:
American Least Shrew, Bee Shrew, Least Shrew, Little Short-Tailed Shrew, North American Least Shrew, Small Short-Tailed Shrew
Common Names in Russian:
Землеройка малая короткоухая
Common Names in Spanish:
Musaraa-Orejillas Mnima
Description
Physical Description
Species Cryptotis parva
Size: Total length for this shrew ranges from 7.2 - 9 cm (2.8 - 3.5 in). Color: The back and sides vary from dark brown to reddish brown in winter and are lighter in color in the summer months. The belly is grayish. Other things to look for: The Least Shrew can be distinguished by the combination of its extremely short tail, small size, and cinnamon color.
Habitat
The Least Shrew is one of the most adaptable and wide-ranging of all North American shrews. It frequents grasslands, pastures, and open woodlands. It is also found in marshy and maritime forest habitats . It makes shallow surface runways or burrows or uses those of rodents or other shrews. It also takes refuge under fallen logs , rocks or other ground cover.
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,401 meters (0 to 7,877 feet).[1]
Biome: Terrestrial
Biology
Diet
Its diet includes insects, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, slugs, snails, and earthworms. Preferred insects are grasshoppers, beetles, and crickets. A Least Shrew must eat from 60 - 100% of its body weight daily .
Reproduction
The Least Shrew breeds year-round, and produces several litters per year. After a 22 - day gestation period , 2 - 8 (usually 5) young are born in a globular-shaped nest which is 10 - 13 cm (3.9 - 5.1 in) in diameter. The nest is made of dried grasses and leaves, and is lined with finely shredded grass . Both parents care for the young and share the same nest. Young are the size of adults by one month of age and reach sexual maturity soon thereafter.
Behavior
The Least Shrew is a socially inclined animal compared to the solitary existence of other shrews. As many as 31 individuals may share the same nest . Predators include hawks, owls, snakes , and small carnivores . As with all shrews, the average life span is usually less than a year.
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
()
- (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum:
Chordata
()
- Bateson, 1885
- Chordates
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
()
- Cuvier, 1812
- Vertebrates
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
()
- Auct.
- Jawed Vertebrates
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
()
- Goodrich, 1930
- Class:
Mammalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Mammals
- Subclass:
Theriiformes
()
- (Rowe, 1988) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
- Infraclass:
Holotheria
()
- (Wible Et Al., 1995) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
- Superlegion:
Trechnotheria
()
- Mckenna, 1975
- Legion:
Cladotheria
()
- Mckenna, 1975
- Sublegion:
Zatheria
()
- Mckenna, 1975
- Infralegion:
Tribosphenida
()
- (Mckenna, 1975) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
- Supercohort:
Theria
()
- (Parker & Haswell, 1897) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
- Cohort:
Placentalia
()
- (Owen, 1837) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
- Magnorder:
Epitheria
()
- (Mckenna, 1975) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
- Superorder:
Preptotheria
()
- (Mckenna, 1975) Mckenna, in Stucky & Mckenna, in Benton, Ed., 1993
- Grandorder:
Lipotyphla
()
- (Haeckel, 1866) Mckenna, 1975
- Order:
Soricomorpha
()
- (Gregory, 1910) Mckenna, 1975
- Superfamily:
Soricoidea
()
- (Fischer De Waldheim, 1817) Gill, 1872
- Superfamily:
Soricoidea
(
- Order:
Soricomorpha
(
- Grandorder:
Lipotyphla
(
- Superorder:
Preptotheria
(
- Magnorder:
Epitheria
(
- Cohort:
Placentalia
(
- Supercohort:
Theria
(
- Infralegion:
Tribosphenida
(
- Sublegion:
Zatheria
(
- Legion:
Cladotheria
(
- Superlegion:
Trechnotheria
(
- Infraclass:
Holotheria
(
- Subclass:
Theriiformes
(
- Class:
Mammalia
(
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
(
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
(
- Phylum:
Chordata
(
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
(
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Notes
Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 28-Nov-2006
Similar Species
Short-tailed shrews are lead-gray in color and are larger. All other shrews have a longer tail.
Members of the genus Cryptotis
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 50 species and subspecies in this genus:
C. adamsi · C. alticola (Central Mexican Broad-Clawed Shrew) · C. avia · C. brachyonyx (Eastern Cordillera Small-Footed Shrew) · C. colombiana (Colombian Small-Eared Shrew) · C. endersi (Enders' S Small-Eared Shrew) · C. equatoris (Ecuadorean Small-Eared Shrew) · C. floridana · C. goldmani (Goldman's Broad-Clawed Shrew) · C. goldmani alticola · C. goldmani machetes · C. goodwini (Goodwin's Broad-Clawed Shrew) · C. gracilis (Talamancan Small-Eared Shrew) · C. griseoventris (Guatemalan Broad-Clawed Shrew) · C. hondurensis (Honduran Small-Eared Shrew) · C. magna (Big Mexican Small-Eared Shrew) · C. mayensis (Yucatan Small-Eared Shrew) · C. meadensis · C. medellinia (Medellín Small-Eared Shrew) · C. mera (Darién Small-Eared Shrew) · C. meridensis (Merida Small-Eared Shrew) · C. merriami (Merriam's Small-Eared Shrew) · C. mexicana (Mexican Small-Eared Shrew) · C. mexicana mexicana (Mexican Small-Eared Shrew) · C. mexicana nelsoni · C. mexicana obscura · C. montivaga (Ecuadorean Small-Eared Shrew) · C. nelsoni (Nelson's Small-Eared Shrew) · C. nigrescens (Blackish Small-Eared Shrew) · C. nigrescens mayensis · C. obscura (Grizzled Mexican Small-Eared Shrew) · C. orophila (Central American Least Shrew) · C. parva (North American Least Shrew) · C. parva berlandieri · C. parva floridana · C. parva harlani · C. parva orophila · C. parva parva (North American Least Shrew) · C. parva pergracilis · C. parva pueblensis · C. parva soricina · C. parva tropicalis · C. peregrina (Oaxacan Broad-Clawed Shrew) · C. peruviensis (Peruvian Small-Eared Shrew) · C. phillipsii (Phillips' Small-Eared Shrew) · C. sp · C. squamipes (Western Colombian Small-Eared Shrew) · C. tamensis (Tamá Small-Eared Shrew) · C. thomasi (Thomas's Small-Eared Shrew) · C. tropicalis (Tropical Small-Eared Shrew)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- A checklist of the vertebrate animals of Kansas / George D. Potts, Joseph T. Collins. [Lawrence, Kan.]: Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 1991. ENG url p. 2.
- A manual of land and fresh water vertebrate animals of the United States (exclusive of birds) by Henry Sherring Pratt.. . Philadelphia, P. Blakiston's Son & Co., inc.[c1935] ENG url p. 256.
- Anglo-russkii biologicheskii slovar' / [avtory, I. N. Afanas'eva.. . et al.; spetsial'nye nauch. redaktory, O. I. Chibisova i L. A. Koziar]. Moskva: Russkii iazyk, 1979. ENG url p. 583.
- Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. ENG url p. 91.
- Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
- Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. ENG url p. 175, p. 24, p. 25, p. 31, p. 38, p. 553, p. 856.
- Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- ENG url p. 212.
- Field book of North American mammals; descriptions of every mammal known north of the Rio Grande, together with brief accounts of habits, geographical ranges, etc., by H. E. Anthony.. . with 32 coloured plates and 175 photographs, pen-and-ink sketches and New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1928. ENG url p. 41.
- Fossil shrews from Honduras and their significance for late glacial evolution in body size (Mammalia: Soricidae: Cryptotis) / Neal Woodman --, Darin A. Croft --. Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, 2005. ENG url p. 3.
- Geographic variation and evolutionary relationships among broad-clawed shrews of the Cryptotis goldmani-group (Mammalia, Insectivora, Soricidae) / Neal Woodman, Robert M. Timm. [Chicago, Ill.]: Field Museum of Natural History, c1999. ENG url p. 2, p. 25, p. 26, p. 27, p. 3.
- Handbook of mammals of Kansas / by E. Raymond Hall. Lawrence, Kansas: Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 1955. ENG url p. 17.
- Intraspecific and interspecific variation in the Cryptotis nigrescens species complex of small-eared shrews (Insectivora, Soricidae): with the description of a new species from Colombia / Neal Woodman, Robert M. Timm. [Chicago, Ill.]: Field Museum of Natural History, c1993. ENG url p. 21, p. 9.
- Mammals of the Chicago area / by Colin C. Sanborn, Assistant, Division of Mammals. Chicago:Field Museum of Natural History, 1925. ENG url p. 3.
- Miscellaneous publication - University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History. Lawrence, University of Kansas, 1946-1996. ENG url p. 4, p. 4.
- Name that animal; a guide to the identification of the common land and fresh-water animals of the United States, with special reference to the area east of the Rockies. With drawings by Olive Driver. [Northampton? Mass., 1950] ENG url p. 493.
- Naturalist's guide to the Americas, prepared by the Committee on the Preservation of Natural Conditions of the Ecological Society of America, with assistance from numerous organizations and individuals, assembled and edited by chairman, Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1926. ENG url p. 381, p. 413, p. 445.
- New North American fleas. [Chicago, 1944] ENG url p. 218, p. 222.
- Occasional papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas: The University, 1971-1994. ENG url p. 2, p. 3, p. 30, p. 37.
- Occasional papers of the Natural History Museum, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence, Kan.: The University, 1994-1996. ENG url p. 2, p. 6, p. 8.
- Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] ENG url p. 226, p. 251, p. 447, p. 589, p. 602, p. 620.
- Readings in mammalogy: selected from the original literature and introduced with comments / by J. Knox Jones, Jr. and Sydney Anderson. [Lawrence]Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 1970. ENG url p. 516.
- Textbook of zoology / by George Edwin Potter. St. Louis: Mosby, 1947. ENG url p. 929.
- The Great Basin naturalist. Provo, Utah, M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University. ENG url p. 100.
- The University of Kansas science bulletin. [Lawrence]: University of Kansas, 1902-1996. ENG url p. 110, p. 111, p. 1218, p. 1262, p. 1278, p. 1279, p. 1282, p. 1283, p. 1301, p. 1333, p. 1334, p. 1351, p. 1352, p. 1353, p. 1371, p. 151, p. 153, p. 171, p. 224, p. 245, p. 383, p. 540.
- The mammals of Pennsylvania: with a discussion of the biology of mammals in general, including keys to the orders and families, and with detailed accounts of all species indigenous to Pennsylvania / by Samuel Howard Williams. Pittsburgh: [s.n.], 1928. ENG url p. 58, p. 74.
- Tulane studies in zoology. New Orleans, Tulane University. ENG url p. 66.
- Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds). 1993. Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London.
- Wilson, Don E., and DeeAnn M. Reeder, eds. 1993. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2nd ed., 3rd printing. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, DC, USA. xviii + 1207. ISBN: 1-56098-217-9.
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 3, 2006.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 11, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 12 providers.
- Insectivore Specialist Group 1996. Cryptotis parva. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on 21 October 2006.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 11, 2008:
- Burke Museum: Mammal Specimens
- Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad: Colección de Mamíferos de la Sierra Volcánica Transversal de México (UAM-I)
- Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad: Colección de Mamíferos de Nuevo León, México (UANL)
- Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates: Mammal Collection
- Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
- Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science: Mammal specimens
- Marine Science Institute, UCSB: Paleobiology Database
- Michigan State University Museum: Vertebrate specimens
- Museum of Texas Tech University (TTU): Mammal specimens
- Royal Ontario Museum: Mammal specimens
- Sternberg Museum of Natural History: Mammal Collection
- University of Alaska Museum of the North: MSB Mammals Specimens
- University of Alaska Museum of the North: UAM Mammals Specimens
- University of Colorado Museum: Zoological specimens
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2479685
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-179971
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 179971
- IUCN ID: 41377
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: AMABA04010
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 398
Footnotes
- Mean = 247.680 meters (812.598 feet), Standard Deviation = 441.990 based on 554 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
