Shrew do you think we are?

The Mammal Society in the UK is asking for help from people in the island to identify shrews.

Guernsey has only one shrew species, the greater white-toothed, which is not native to the British Isles.

But it was discovered in the UK for the first time late last year, and there are concerns it is out-competing the UK’s pygmy shrew.

The society has set up a new project, Searching for Shrews, to monitor them, but does not have enough photos and videos of the greater white-toothed to help the public learn the difference between it and the UK’s three shrew species.

So it has asked people from Guernsey to send in good quality photos and videos of the local one.

Liz Sweet, from the Guernsey Biological Records Centre, said that the local shrew did not just look different to the UK’s, it smelt different too.

‘Our shrew is quite smelly, people have said it smells like a ferret,’ she said.

‘It’s a musk shrew and the ones in the UK aren’t and they don’t have the same pungent smell.’

Shrews are the smallest type of mammals and voracious insect eaters, who need to eat about every two hours.

The greater white-toothed shrew, as its name suggest, has white teeth while all the UK varieties have red.

The Guernsey shrew also has a more pointy nose and more prominent ears.

The greater white-toothed is also common in mainland Europe and was first recorded in Ireland in 2007, where only the pygmy shrew was present.

Pygmy shrews have disappeared from the areas which the greater white-toothed has colonised as they appear to be being out-competed.

The Guernsey Press first reported the sightings of the shrews in the UK in October last year, after one was caught in Sunderland by a cat called Jeff, whose owner froze the tiny mammal to feed it to her pet snake.

The society would like to receive images from Guernsey, Alderney and Herm but not Sark because they only have the smaller lesser white-toothed shrew.

Ms Sweet said they knew the neighbouring islands had different species because of the sounds the tiny mammals make.

‘Shrews submit ultrasound, the greater white emits a different sound to the lesser white so we know from ultrasound surveys that the two islands populations are different.’

. Photos and videos can be sent by WeTransfer to info@themammalsociety.org

. Find out more at www.mammal.org.uk/searching-for-shrews/

Greater white-toothed shrew

IT IS the only species of shrew found in Guernsey, Herm and Alderney.

Sark has a different species of shrew. Jersey has two shrew species, but not this one.

They live in hedgerows, grassland, cultivated areas and woodland.

They prefer human settlements and farm buildings during the colder months.

The shrew is greyish-reddish brown on top and yellowish-grey underside. It has prominent ears, bright white teeth and a tail with long white hairs.

Their very white teeth are due to a lack of iron deposits in them, which leaves other shrew species with red/brown/orange tips.

It is known in some parts of Europe as the house shrew.

They are 60mm to 90mm in body length, and weigh between 11g and 14.5g.

They live for about 18 months and live on invertebrates including woodlice, snails, slugs and spiders.

They may occasionally eat small rodents and amphibians.

They often live in close proximity to each other, and will protect their home ranges. They have been found to sometimes nest together in groups, living in open, saucer-shaped nests from dry grass, typically under stones or logs.

They are mostly active during the day, and are vocal, with high-pitched squeaks when threatened or alarmed.

Shrews are monogamous and females have litters of between two and 10 young, with up to four litters a season.