Shrew-mole
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| Neurotrichus gibbsii (Baird, 1858) |
The Shrew-mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii) is the smallest North American mole. It is the only member of the genus Neurotrichus and the tribe Neutrichini. It is also known as the American Shrew Mole, but its relationship to the other shrew moles is distant.
It is found in damp forested or bushy areas with deep loose soils in the western United States and southwestern British Columbia.
It has dark grey fur, a long flattened snout and has a short but thick bristled tail. It is about 10 cm in length including a 3 cm long tail and weighs about 10 g. Its front paws are smaller and do not face outwards from the body as in other fossorial moles and so are more similar to those of shrews. It has 36 teeth.
This mole is often active above ground, foraging in leaf litter for earthworms, insects, snails and slugs. It is able to climb bushes. Predators include owls, hawks and mustelids.
Females have litters with 1 to 4 young.
[edit] References
- ^ Hutterer, Rainer (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 303-304. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Insectivore Specialist Group (1996). Neurotrichus gibbsii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2006-05-12. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
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