This edition’s Creature Feature is on the unsuspecting shrew. While shrews may look a lot like mice, they are actually more related to hedgehogs and moles. This also means that they are not a rodent despite their appearance. While there are over 380 species on shrew, this feature looks at the common shrew, which is found all over mainland Britain.
Due to their tiny size, shrews have a very fast metabolism, which means they must eat very regularly to meet their energy needs. This means unlike larger animals, a classic example is a bear, that can hibernate in the cold winter season, the shrews must find another way to get by when food is hard to find. Shrews actually end up shrinking so that they require less energy. Not only do they lose muscle and fat, but they can actually shrink their internal organs including their brain, crazy! You can read more about the shrew by visiting our fantastic Wildlife Activity Pack which can be accessed here.
