Musaraigne de Gaspé— Quebec wildlife

The long-tailed shrew or rock shrew (Sorex dispar) is a small shrew found in Atlantic Canada and the Northeastern United States. This shrew is slate grey in color with a pointed snout, a long tail, and lighter underparts. It is found on rocky slopes in mountainous areas along the Atlantic coast from Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec, and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, to northern Georgia. It eats insects and spiders. Predators include hawks, owls, and snakes.

Habitat and range

The long-tailed shrew generally inhabits two types of environments: near mountain streams, or under and among rocks. The species can be found in mountainous, forested areas that could be deciduous or evergreen, and in rocky, damp areas where deep crevices are abundant that can be covered by leaf mold and roots. In numerous descriptions of the species habitat, rocks are an important component of the habitat, giving the species the name rock shrew.

Diet

The long-tailed shrew has an extremely narrow skull, as well as large incisors which give it the ability to extract insects, spiders, worms and centipedes from the rocky crevices of its environment.

Reproduction

Reproduction in the long-tailed shrew occurs in spring and summer; the breeding time ranges possibly late April to August. The long-tailed shrew produces one or two litters from May through August, with two to five young per litter. As a result of its short lifespan, sexual maturity is reached in less than a year.