Eulipotyphla Spotlight: Northern Short-Tailed Shrew

Remember the Platypus? What made the platypus weird was the fact that it was a mammal that laid eggs--which is more of a bird thing. Every now and then you will find an animal class that has a quality that seems more appropriate for a different class. In the case of the northern short-tailed shrew, they are mammals that have a reptilian ability--namely the ability to administer venom to its prey. That's right, it is a venomous mammal.

Size-wise, the northern short-tailed shrew can be as big as 5.5 inches from head to tail, and yes, that tail is short--sometimes only three quarters of an inch long. It weighs as much as 1.06 ounces. It can be found throughout central and eastern North America, but the bulk of them are found in the Great Lakes region of North America. They are not too picky about their habitat; although, they do prefer grassy, pleasant areas. They will ignore the presence of humans unless they are particularly targeted by them.

The northern short-tailed shrew is an omnivore insomuch as they enjoy a little subterranean fungi, but they are by and large carnivorous--feeding on earthworms, snails, and voles. You may be getting a strong underground vibe from the previous sentence. That is because this particular shrew spends much of its time underground. Of all the many types of shrews in the world, this one spends more time underground than any other one.

Similar to the common shrew, the northern short-tailed shrew goes into states of torpor as a means of rest. Throughout the day and night, they spend much of their time in torpor with these extremely active 5 minute intervals where it looks for and eats all the food it can. It has to consume three times it's weight in food every single day.

And then there is the venom. This shrew has a nasty toxin released when it bites. It causes so much pain that it produces a stunned effect in large animals. It will also outright kill smaller animals shortly after the toxin is administered. What does it do to humans? Sometimes when people handle this shrew, they might get bitten. The toxin will cause the wound to be severely painful; however, it will work itself out without harming the person. This same venom can be found in a reptile called the Mexican beaded lizard. Venomous mammals are very few in the world, but it is believed that there were more of them that have since gone extinct.

There is no specific fiction for the northern short-tailed shrew, but I imagine the venom thing would likely make great villains out of them. It is not so much because they can poison others, but rather because the poison causes so much pain. I can see them as being torture experts for some greater villain. They might also work for an army of common shrews as a means to gather intel from their prisoners. It is a nasty vision, but from what I know of shrews, they are a nasty, nasty group of killers.

I like it when villains pop up in nature just as much as when heroes do. A good story needs both sides to be interesting. I still sees the shrews as a force to be reckoned with, and now that they are deploying a venomous character, that makes them all the more scary. Beware the shrews!

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