Notiosorex crawfordi (Coues, 1877)

Gray shrew

Species recognized by The Integrated Taxonomic Information System external link, T Orrell (custodian) in 
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC) external link Showing: scientific names

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General Description

Description

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Smithsonian's North American Mammals external link
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Smithsonian Institution - North American Mammals external link
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These shrews live in deserts, but they seek out moister microhabitats within them, such as brushpiles or fallen logs. They have been found in beehives, and their tiny, golfball-sized nests have been found in dens built by—and sometimes still occupied by—woodrats. Captive individuals ate a variety of insects, including cockroaches, beetles, mealworms, and moths, and also accepted carrion. They would not attack live rodents, or eat salamanders, earthworms, or scorpions. Crawford’s Gray Shrews give birth to litters of 3 to 5 relatively helpless, but rapidly maturing, young, which leave the nest by six weeks of age.

Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
References
  • Coues, E., 1877.  Precursory notes on American insectivorous mammals, with descriptions of new species, p. 651. Bulletin of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, 3:631-653.
"Notiosorex crawfordi (Coues, 1877)". Encyclopedia of Life, available from "http://www.eol.org/pages/327372". Accessed 21 Mar 2010.