Pygmy Shrew

Do be aware that your pet cat will kill birds and small rodents (putting a small bell on the collar will reduce the death toll). Also it's likely that your dog instinctively will jump into the undergrowth and kill small rodents, even when on the lead. This shrew was, I'm afraid, dispatched by our dog.

The Pygmy Shrew (Sorex minutus) is Ireland’s smallest mammal. It's body length is about 6 cm. It's an important habitat indicator in three ways. It feeds on insects, spiders and snails and these will be more abundant in a healthy habitat. It has to consume up 1.25 times its body weight (about 6 g) each day in order to survive. This means that it might require as many as 250 prey items per day, making it a formidable predator. It favours places of shelter, including hedgerows, field borders and woodland — these kinds of habitat are under pressure from agriculture and development and the presence of shrews indicates that traditional rural habitats are being preserved. Thirdly, the Pygmy Shrew is a favourite prey of the Barn Owl, a protected species with numbers in severe decline in Ireland. There have been occasional sightings of this bird in Marlinstown in recent years.