This selection of Irish animals, native or introduced, is taken from the Appletree Press title Animals of Ireland. There will be a number of extracts from the book in coming months. The book contains highly detailed full colour illustrations to complement the detailed explanatory text.

Pigmy Shrew
Sorex minutus
Dallóg fhraoigh

It is difficult to realise just how small this little creature is until it is picked up in the hand. The body would fit comfortably into a tablespoon (5 cm/2 inches) with a further 3.5 cm (1.5 inches) of tail. It weighs only a few grammes – a third of the weight of a House mouse. Apart from being much smaller than a mouse it is a different shape as well, with a disproportionately long, thickly whiskered nose. The eyes are tiny compared with those of the mouse, as are the ears, which are more to the sides of the head and almost concealed in the fur. The tail is lightly furred along its length. The colour of the fur is usually dark brown above, light greyish beneath, but it may be quite greyish brown in some cases. It often has a velvety sheen.

Pigmy shrews are living dynamos. They have to scurry around, feeding constantly just to stay alive. They feed energetically for an hour or so, then rest for a while before resuming the pattern, which goes on more or less ceaselessly throughout the lifetime of this miniscule mammal – usually only a year or a little longer. The food is almost entirely insect or insect-like, for example, spiders and woodlice. The elongated nose with extra-long, sensitive whiskers is the main tool with which the Pigmy shrew seeks out its prey. Those which fail to keep up with this hectically demanding lifestyle simply die off. It is not unusual, especially in winter, to find a shrew dead on a path or other open place, where it has simply succumbed to the conditions. They are prolific breeders, to counteract a high mortality rate. Half a dozen or more offspring are produced in the spring litter which may be repeated one or more times during the summer. The young stay with the female until weaned and then go off to establish their own territories.

Habitats of different kinds are occupied by these creatures but particularly grassy and weedy places. Nettle beds, bramble patches and even bogland hold them. Often their presence can be detected by almost imperceptible squeaking noises emitted constantly as they go about their business. The squeaking often becomes frenetic when two shrews meet – there may be a heated exchange before each goes off on its way. One of the best places to look for them is at the seashore at night. Here they may be found foraging for sandhoppers amongst seaweed and other material along the high-tide line.

Other Small Mammals from Animals of Ireland include:
Bank Vole |
Brown Rat |
Grey Squirrel |
Hedgehog |
House Mouse |
Red Squirrel |
Wood Mouse |