Taiga Shrew

About this species

Diet

Small invertebrates such as earthworms, arachnids, insects and their larvae; rarely carrion

Habitat

Taiga or forested mountain ranges; always damp, often with pronounced ground vegetation

Range

From the east coast of the Baltic across northern Russia (except tundra) to Lake Baikal and the Baekdu-daegan mountains of Korea

Litter size

5–8 young

The taiga shrew is a shrew of northern Eurasia. As its name suggests, it lives in the taiga or on forest-covered mountain ranges, and its habitat is always damp and often has pronounced ground vegetation. Its range extends from the east coast of the Baltic across northern Russia, except the tundra, to Lake Baikal and the Baekdu-daegan mountains of the Korean Peninsula. In rare cases individuals have been found in Sweden and Norway. (German Wikipedia, general species account)

It feeds on small invertebrates such as earthworms, arachnids and insects and their larvae, and rarely on carrion. Females can breed three times a year, with litters of five to eight young that mostly mature only after successfully overwintering, though young occasionally mate in the same year. Life expectancy is one to one and a half years, and the main cause of death is tooth wear. (German Wikipedia, general species account)

Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)