Vanleg spissmus
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| Sorex araneus Linné, 1758 |
Vanleg spissmus er den mest utbreidde spissmusa og eit av dei vanlegaste pattedyra i Nord-Europa. Dyra er vanlegvis 55-82 mm lange og veg 5-12 gram. Spissmus har små auge, ein avspissa, rørleg snute og tenner med raude tippar. Dei har ein fløyelsaktig mørkebrun pels og lysare mage. Ungmus har lysare pels fram til den første fellinga når dei får vinterpels.
Spissmus lever i om lag 23 månader. Dei er aktive både om dagen og natta, men helst når det er mørkt.
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[endre] Territory
Vanleg spissmus er held helst til i skog, markland og på heiene i Storbritannia, Skandinavia, og Aust Europa. Kvar spissmus etablerer eit revir på omlag 370-630 meter, og blir der heile livet. Hannane krysser utover desse grensene berre for ein kort periode for å finne ein partner under parringa. Common shrews are extremely territorial and become aggressive when another shrew enters a home range.
Common shrews make their nests underground or under dense vegetation.
[endre] Diet
The shrew's carnivourous and insectivorous diet consists mostly of insects, slugs, spiders, worms, and carrion. Shrews need to consume 80-90% of their body weight each day in order to survive. A shrew must eat every two to three hours to achieve this goal. They do not hibernate in the winter months because their bodies are too small to hold sufficient fat reserves.
Shrews have poor eyesight, but use their excellent sense of smell and good hearing to locate food. Using these senses, a shrew can locate prey up to 12 cm deep in the soil.
[endre] Breeding
The common shrew breeding season lasts from April to September, but peaks during the summer months. After a gestation period of 24 to 25 days, a female gives birth to a litter of 5-7 shrews. A female usually rears 2-4 litters each year. The young are weaned and independent after 22 to 25 days.
Breeding is the only time that shrews do not prefer to be solitary. Young shrews often form a caravan behind the mother, each carrying the tail of the sibling in front with its mouth.
[endre] Protection and population
The common shrew is not an endangered species, but is protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981. It is an offence in Britain to kill a shrew wihtout a licence.
In Britain, shrews can be found at densities up to one per 200 square metres in the woodlands. These population numbers are controlled by owls, weasels, stoats, and foxes, which prey on the common shrew. A liquid produced by glands on the skin make shrews rather unpleasant tasting to domestic cats.
There has been a recent decline in common shrew populations due to increased use of herbicides.
