Their burrows are excavated in riverbanks and have a specially designed entrance, no more than two centimetres in diameter. The water shrew is the only small British mammal likely to be seen swimming under water, although moles are excellent swimmers when necessary. The hole acts like a mop wringer and squeezes the water out of their coats, then the shrew finishes off the job by grooming itself with the bristly hind feet.
It is found in the main rainforest block of central Africa from Nigeria to Zambia, with a few isolated populations in Kenya and Uganda.It lives in streams, wetlands and slow flowing larger rivers.
There are several species of shrew that are at home in water. The water shrew is our largest shrew. Otter shrews are most closely related to the tenrecs of Madagascar. Entrances are above or below water and tunnels are made narrow to squeeze water from the animals fur.
The air bubbles allow the shrew to swim, but as soon as the shrew stops swimming, then it shoots back up to the surface.
The water shrew leads a semi-aquatic life, it is an excellent swimmer being adapted to life in water – on the underside of its tail there is a fur keel that it uses as a rudder on swimming. All of these have silky fur that repels water, long tails and fringes of stiff hairs along the edges of their feet, toes, fingers and tails that help them swim. The water shrew is particularly adapted to aquatic habits. Water shrew are recorded throughout mainland Britain and a few offshore islands, but they aren't particularly numerous anywhere. Water shrew Neomys fodiens. Water Shrew facts 1. Adult water shrews are around 15cm long - the head/body is: 67-96mm: & tail is: 45-77mm 3.
The Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens), known in the United Kingdom as the water shrew, is a relatively large shrew, up to 10 cm (4 in) long, with a tail up to three-quarters as long again.It has short, dark fur, often with a few white tufts, a white belly, and a few stiff hairs around the feet and tail. But they can also turn up some distance from water in woodland, hedgerows and grassland. It is monotypic in the genus Potamogale. It spends much of its time hunting for invertebrates and even swimming underwater to catch caddisfly and mayfly larvae. Description: The water shrew is the largest of Britain's shrews. Water shrew fur is denser than that of other shrews, being suited for their aquatic lifestyle. They groom their coat frequently to maintain its condition and prevent water-logging. It can live at least 2 miles away from water but usually inhabits stream banks in which it burrows extensively. The first trick of many in the water shrew’s book is an ability to dive up to two metres deep in pursuit of prey: proportionally, this is like a human diving 20 metres!
Whilst swimming, the velvety fur of the Water Shrew traps thousands of tiny air bubbles which makes the fur appear silvery whilst underwater and provides vital insulation. The giant otter shrew (Potamogale velox) is a semiaquatic, carnivorous afrotherian mammal. Bristles are present on the underside of the tail and on the paws, helping the shrew to swim more easily. They have a long pointed snout, small ears, and tiny eyes. The water shrew can dive underwater for about 15 seconds, but is only able to if it is swimming vigorously. Usually they inhabit the banks of clear, fast-flowing, unpolluted rivers and streams as well as ponds and drainage ditches. They are excellent swimmers, and can often be spotted swimming underwater and diving to depths of 30 to 200cm. It has a very distinctive fringe of tiny silvery hairs under the tail and on the margins of the feet, which aid it in swimming. Water shrews are semi-aquatic mammals which use water and wetlands for shelter and resources – in this case mainly for food.
It lives close to fresh water, hunting aquatic prey in the water and nearby.
The fur is short, dense, velvety and jet black on the upper surface of the body, and usually greyish white/ yellowish underneath. As its name suggest, the water shrew is a semi-aquatic species found close to water bodies such as streams, ponds, rivers, reed-beds and fens. Eurasian Water Shrew Behaviour and Diet. Water Shrew - Neomys fodiens Taxon: Eulipotyphla General fact sheet (click to download) Habitat: Rivers and wetland, mixed woodland. Sensitive whiskers help to locate prey when swimming because their eyesight is pretty poor. Unlike the common shrew and pygmy shrew, which are less than 10cm long with brownish grey pelts, the water shrew has black, mole-like upper fur and a silvery belly, though the colouration can vary.
Tibetan Water Shrew. As the name suggests, it lives almost entirely in wetland habitats, such as streams, ponds, fens and reedbeds. SWIMMING. Unlike the other two UK shrews, the water shrews tail is …