Sorex minutus
Silhouette: Becky Barnes · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The Eurasian pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus), often known simply as the pygmy shrew, is a widespread shrew of the northern Palearctic. The Eurasian pygmy shrew measures about 5 cm (2.0 in) in length, plus a 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long tail; it has an average weight of 4 g (0.14 oz). The very dense and shiny fur on its back is blackish with shades ranging from reddish to purplish; the belly, throat, jaw, periocular area and lower part of the tail are contrasted whitish. The muzzle and legs are covered with sparse white hair, while the skin is flesh coloured. The ears are small and half hidden by fur, they are dark flesh colored and shaped like a semicircle. The head is larger in proportion to the body than in other shrews.
The Eurasian pygmy shrew is a solitary mammal, active throughout the day and night and inhabiting areas of dense vegetation across a broad elevation range. It lives of seeds, small insects and other invertebrates. It uses the burrows or tunnels of other rodents under tree stumps. It roams on a few hundred square metres and establishes trackways. It has one of the highest metabolic rates of any animal; to maintain homeostasis, it... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Pygmy Shrew sighting in Moscow on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 24th most-seen of the 25 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Pygmy Shrew in Moscow on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Pygmy Shrew sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Moscow, in our data
Moscow is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Eurasian Pygmy Shrew sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Pygmy Shrew is recorded against all the mammals logged in Moscow (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
