Now looking up the differences between a shrew/mouse etc. feel bad that this little fella died outside my house, didn’t seem like a cat attack.
Could be poison but don’t think anyone has/would put some down around here.
mcguirl2
Based on the size I think it’s a white-toothed shrew as opposed to the native pygmy shrew. White-toothed shrews arrived in Ireland in 2007 and are widespread now, and they outcompete the native pygmy shrew for food. Genetic testing shows they were probably introduced from France.
Not-ur-mummy
I was going to say Pygmy Shrew, but without a frame of reference to size it’s impossible to say. We have them EVERYWHERE I live.
I call them “mouse on wheels” cos they move so smoothly and quickly.
They are insect eaters (primarily spiders). They do NOT eat any seed and need to eat every 15 minutes or they will starve to death.
I love them! 😍
**EDIT! I see you gave the size so this is definitely a Pygmy Shew. The Greater White Toothed Shrew is over twice that size and is not strictly an insect eater (it eats other small mammals like the Pygmy Shrew). Its colour is also more greyish-reddish-brown primary coat and a yellowish-brown belly.**
MostPerturbatory
Hopefully not the same one I saw yesterday, it too had a hurt back left paw/foot. I was walking to the shops and came across one being hunted by a cat so I put myself between the two of them and sheparded the little thing to a river bank then kept guard until it had vanished and the cat lost interest. Deeply enjoyable to see them out in the wild.
AnyDamnThingWillDo
My cat is actively hunting and eating them. We’re overrun with them here.
7 Comments
It’s a shrew
Adult shrew
Thank you all!
Now looking up the differences between a shrew/mouse etc. feel bad that this little fella died outside my house, didn’t seem like a cat attack.
Could be poison but don’t think anyone has/would put some down around here.
Based on the size I think it’s a white-toothed shrew as opposed to the native pygmy shrew. White-toothed shrews arrived in Ireland in 2007 and are widespread now, and they outcompete the native pygmy shrew for food. Genetic testing shows they were probably introduced from France.
I was going to say Pygmy Shrew, but without a frame of reference to size it’s impossible to say. We have them EVERYWHERE I live.
I call them “mouse on wheels” cos they move so smoothly and quickly.
They are insect eaters (primarily spiders). They do NOT eat any seed and need to eat every 15 minutes or they will starve to death.
I love them! 😍
**EDIT! I see you gave the size so this is definitely a Pygmy Shew. The Greater White Toothed Shrew is over twice that size and is not strictly an insect eater (it eats other small mammals like the Pygmy Shrew). Its colour is also more greyish-reddish-brown primary coat and a yellowish-brown belly.**
Hopefully not the same one I saw yesterday, it too had a hurt back left paw/foot. I was walking to the shops and came across one being hunted by a cat so I put myself between the two of them and sheparded the little thing to a river bank then kept guard until it had vanished and the cat lost interest. Deeply enjoyable to see them out in the wild.
My cat is actively hunting and eating them. We’re overrun with them here.