Outdoors Smallest mammal will eal his buddies a ee I would hazard that virtually all readers of this column are acquainted with our tiny rufous hummingbird which so commonly nests here and visits our feeding bottles with such regularity. We also often see them foraging for nectar in our flower gardens and gathering small insects in flight. As well, most of us have seen their wonderfully constructed nests which are surfaced with lichens held firmly in place with spider web. | I would guess, ;too, that few people are acquainted with any of our several species/of shrew, one of which is the smallest mammal in the world.. Strangely our simallest mammal, the pygmy shrew, is about the size of our smallest} bird, a hummer! Why do we not have either mam- mals or birds that are even smaller, you might well ask. The answer is that these tiny creatures have reached the limit of diminutiveness if you like. The smaller the animal, the more rapidly it loses heat to the environment because of its relative high surface to volume ratio. Smaller animals would be unable to process sufficient food to main- tain a high body temperature because of the high rate of heat loss. A shrew might easily consume twice its weight or more in food per day. To put this in perspective, a 150-lbs. man would need to consume 300 Ibs. of food per day to keep pace with the shrew! Shrews and hummingbirds live out their short life spans at an incredible rate. You might say that “they really live it up.” Shrews commonly die of old age in a year or less. But even more fascinating infor- mation has been carefully gathered your chioce of?? a5 THINGS Cia SS Pave tS MASKED SHREW by researchers. It turns out that when looking at average lifespans, the larger the mammal the slower the heartbeat. While a shrew has a heartbeat of approximately 800 per minute, an elephant’s is about 25 and a human’s about 70. And what does this tell us? That on the average, all mammals large or small, have approximately the same number of heartbeats per average lifespan! And the signifi- cant difference? Shrews spend their allocation much more rapidly than elephants or Hampson. Shrews live mostly upon insects, snails, worms and mice. The one in our photo today is feeding upon a mouse which it had killed even though the mouse was many times larger than the shrew. My first lengthy experience with shrews was interesting. I had live- trapped four of them in a hay meadow and took them home for observation. ‘The answer is that these tiny creatures have reached the limit of diminutiveness if you like’ I placed them in a dry fish tank and supplied them with bacon and a bit of vegetation for cover. Checking them at supper time, I was able to count only three but concluded that one of them must have hidden beneath the cover or escaped in some way. Cee ee CHOCOLATES — A tisket, a tasket, I need a gift basket. Filled with Belgian chocolates, imported coffee nuts, fruit, or * Ok % _ We also have chocolates made without sugar or salt added. * x % Also on hand are cards & gifts to complement your gift. . * * ¥ 7193A West Saanich Rd. Brentwood Bay 652-8161 (9:30 to 5:30 Monday to Saturday) ce | CY HAMPSON photo However, I carefully checked the temporary cage and looked in on them again before retiring. I turned up only two. Strange! When I checked the tank the following moming, I found only one live shrew. He was busily polishing off his only remaining chum. The riddle of his missing companions was solved. Shrews may die of starvation in a matter of hours. When hungry, which is “most of the time, they consume whatever nutritious item that they can come by. Shrews tend to live mostly under leaves and other ground litter and hence are rarely seen. A female may produce several litters during the year before becoming a statis- tic. They are active throughout the year. 652-3908 ece@oceccoceoeeeceoeeoeeeeoecneoeeeeneeneoneoeceseocee9eoeeooose CALL TODAY! TheReyview Wednesday, June 17,1992 — ATTENTION: All former Council Members of , ale the District of Central Saanich In preparation for Canada Day festivities you are asked £ contact Bonnie McKenzie at the Municipal Hall by TODAY'S calling 652-4444. as REAL ESTATE Zahar Arlene Davidsen HANDLING THE SURPRISES! Between the initial meeting of the minds and the completion date, most real estate transactions encounter ~ at least some breakdowns — often major ones. This is where having a professional handle the sale of your home makes a big difference. Real estate professionals don’t view breakdowns as problems, but as challenges to be met. Many are predicta- ble, and by anticipating them we can minimize their consequences. 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