Shrews are small animals. The largest and most common of them here is the common shrew, weighing 8-14.7 gr. The less common ones are the Laxmann’s and lesser shrews. And the tiniest of the shrews – and the smallest local mammal! – is the rare pygmy shrew, weighing the mere 1.9-2.9 gr.
Shrews usually inhabit forests with rich leaf litter and bush thickets; they prefer cluttered areas with thick herbaceous growth. Shrews live in shallow holes. The animals are active all day long year round. They mainly prey on invertebrates. Sometimes they attack frogs, and even mice and voles. They also eat plant seeds. Shrews consume 1.5 times their weight in food, and they die after 3-5 hours of nutritional deprivation. They greatly benefit forestry and agriculture by exterminating numerous insect pests.
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