Lesser white-toothed shrew
| Lesser white-toothed shrew | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Crocidura |
| Species: | C. suaveolens |
| Binomial name | |
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Crocidura suaveolens (Pallas, 1811) |
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| Lesser white-toothed shrew range | |
The lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens) is a tiny shrew with a widespread distribution in Africa, Asia and Europe. Its preferred habitat is scrub and gardens and it feeds on insects, worms, slugs, snails, newts and small rodents. The closely related Asian lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura shantungensis) was once included in this species, but is now considered to be a separate species.
Like the common shrew, a female lesser white-toothed shrew and her young may form a "caravan" when foraging for food or seeking a place of safety; each shrew grips the tail of the shrew in front so that the group stays together.
Occurs widely from France and Spain, in the west, across Europe and Asia to Japan and also in North Africa. There is one isolated United Kingdom population in the Isles of Scilly and another two populations off the French coast in the Channel Islands of Jersey and Sark. The preferred habitat is dry ground, including scrub and gardens, and within the Isles of Scilly can be found on shingle beaches and sand dunes.
The population found on the Isles of Scilly, off the southwest coast of England, was once thought to be a sub-species, Crocidura suaveolens cassiteridum, and is known as the Scilly shrew. Skull and tooth measurements of individuals from Scilly are found to be intermediate in size of those in the Channel Islands and the darker fur of the Scilly specimens is not considered a valid reason for the naming of a sub-species. It is unusual in that it can be found on the islands' beaches. The Scillonian name for the animal is "teak" or "teke".
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Wikipedia