New York State Mammals Morphology Ecology Identification Classification Distribution
ORDER: Didelphimorphia FAMILY: Didelphidae
Common Name: Virginia opossum Scientific Name: (Didelphis virginiana) Marsupial Only marsupial north of Mexico
Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) Habitat: woodlots, suburban, urban Omnivorous Plays opossum Plays dead to avoid threatening situations Naked prehensile tail Fur gray-silver, white on head 13 nipples within pouch Skull contains 50 teeth I 5/4 C 1/1 P 3/3 M 4/4
ORDER: Soricomorpha FAMILIES: Soricidae Talpidae
Shrew or Mole? lack of zygomatic arch thin (weak) zygomatic arch
FAMILY: SORICIDAE red-toothed shrews Pigmented teeth Smallest mammals in the world Mainly insectivorous Largest/most widely distributed family of insectivores Extremely high metabolism Most have musk glands
FAMILY: SORICIDAE Masked Shrew (Sorex cinereus)* Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi) Long-tailed Shrew (Sorex dispar) Smoky Shrew (Sorex fumeus)* N. Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda)* Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva) Water Shrew (Sorex palustris)* *Specimens we have in lab
Masked shrew (Sorex cinereus) Habitat: forest dweller, primarily moist woods (occupies arid areas in some regions) Tail makes up ~40% of total length, tail tip usually black Usually brown pelage
Pygmy shrew (Sorex hoyi) Habitat: Boreal regions One of the smallest terrestrial mammals on Earth (2.1 grams) Longer snout than masked shrew
Long-tailed shrew (Sorex dispar) Habitat: Rocky outcrops or forest with many rocky areas Adapted to life within rocks (rare): 1) long tail for climbing 2) long rostrum and pointed incisors for extracting inverts from crevices Dark slate coloring Tail length > 48 mm
Smoky shrew (Sorex fumeus) Habitat: Moist woods with heavy leaf litter Fairly common Smoky or gray colored Tail length < 48mm Skull and body more robust than long-tailed shrew
Least shrew (Cryptotis parva) bee shrew : sometimes live in abandoned bee hives Habitat: Brushy/grassy areas NYS = northern extent of geographic range Most social shrew Virginia: up to 25 in one nest Small shrew with short tail < 45% of total length
Northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) Habitat: Variety of habitats woodlands, grassy meadows and yards Poisonous saliva catch invertebrate prey subdue large prey such as mice and voles Very large shrew with short tail compared to body Dark slate colored Hair has brown tips
Water shrew (Sorex palustris) Habitat: Near small streams or creeks Semi-aquatic: Uses water for foraging and escaping predators Adaptations to aquatic lifestyle: fur traps air bubbles stiff fringes of hair on back feet to assist with swimming Large shrew Bicolored tail Black or dark gray fur
Side-by-side Comparisons Sorex cinereus 100 mm TL 80 mm 40 mm tail 30 mm 2 5 g 1 5 g Sorex hoyi 4 obvious unicuspids 3 obvious unicuspids Masked Shrew Pygmy Shrew Slender, dark grey Heavy-bodied, Grey-brown Sorex dispar 115 mm TL 115 mm 55 mm tail 40 mm 3-8 g 6-11 g Sorex fumeus Long-tailed Shrew Smoky Shrew
Side-by-side Comparisons 120 mm TL 70 mm 25 mm tail 30 mm 18-22 g 5-10 g Blarina brevicauda Cryptotis parva Large, short-tailed shrew small, short-tailed shrew Sorex palustris Black/greyish back; Stiff fringes of hair on long hind feet (fl = 18 mm) Water Shrew
FAMILY: TALPIDAE Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus) Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri) Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) **A major distinguishing factor between moles & shrews moles have larger/longer forefeet for digging.
FAMILY: TALPIDAE Adapted for fossorial lifestyle: 1. modified forelimbs 2. keeled sternum- allows for attachment of large pectoral muscles 3. reduced external pinnae and eyes 4. short velvet-like, non-directional fur allows for movement in both directions
Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) Habitat: Prefers moist, sandy soils Can live in drier climates and more coarse soils Uncommon in NY Has webbing between foretoes (not aquatic) Large mole, tail naked or sparsely haired
Hairy-tailed mole (Parascalops breweri) Habitat: Variable, most abundant in light soils with vegetative cover Has vibrissae on snout and edge of palms to serve a tactile function Smaller mole, hairy and fleshy tail
Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) Habitat: Prefers moist or wet soils, most aquatic mole 22 fleshy appendages on nose with over 25,000 Eimer s organs Tactile & electromagnetic Unique star-nose Long tail Black to blackish brown pelage
Side-by-side comparison 150 mm TL 160 mm 30 mm tail 30 mm 60 120 g 40 60 g Scalopus aquaticus Eastern Mole Hairy-tailed Parascalops breweri Condylura cristata Star-nosed TL tail 150-200 mm 360-80 mm 60-80 g Star-nose Skull with forward pointed incisors