The Insectivores
By Kerry Williams
Communications Officer - Conservation
You would think a group of animals called ‘insectivores’ would eat exclusively insects. Think again. You might also think this group would include insectivorous animals like bats, and some birds. Nope.
Insectivores is the common term for the group of mammals including Hedgehogs, Moles, and shrews. The official taxonomic classification, Insectivora, is now defunct, with these species instead now falling under the banner of Eulipotyphyla. However, the colloquial usage of the term ‘insectivores’ to describe this group is still very much in use.
So, what do these species all have in common, besides being heckin’ cute? Although not exclusively insectivorous, these species’ diets do consist primarily of invertebrates... with some cheating.
Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) (pictured above)
Once a common sighting, these unmistakable spiny pals are sadly now a much rarer find. A rise in pesticide use and a loss of hedge habitat has reduced numbers so drastically that Hedgehogs are now listed as vulnerable on the UK conservation red list. Hedgehogs will eat slugs, beetles, worms... pretty much anything they can get their snouts on, including amphibians, and on occasion, the chicks of ground nesting birds.
If you’ve ever seen a Mole, you are very lucky. These subterranean shufflers are rarely seen, spending the majority of their lives digging underground for juicy Earthworms. Often condemned for littering lawns with their characteristic mounds, Moles are, in fact, a gardener's friend. Their taste for grubs keeps plant pest numbers down, their constant tilling increases soil health, and their tunnels are natural flood management systems.
The Shrews
There are three species of shrew found in Sussex. Despite sharing similarities of pointed faces and a mostly invertebrate diet, there are ways to differentiate this snuffly squad.
Although only 8cm long, the Common Shrew is a big eater, consuming 80-90% of its own bodyweight daily to survive – including Earthworms larger than its own body. They can be identified from other shrews by a tail half the length of their body, and a chestnut brown coloured fur.
The smallest of the shrew crew, the Pygmy Shrew weighs in at a tiny 6 grams, with a body length of 6cms. However, though she be but little, she is fierce, and despite their diminutive size, both Pygmy and Common Shrews are aggressively territorial. During the summer months their high-pitched squeaks can sometimes be heard as they fight to defend their patches. Pygmy Shrews are typically darker than the Common Shrew, and notably smaller.
As you might guess, the Water Shrew lives a semi-aquatic life; a factor that helps to identify the species, as other shrews are not typically seen in water. At a whopping 9.5cm long, this is the largest of our native shrews. Continuing the ‘insectivore-cheat’ theme, the Water Shrew has a varied diet, including amphibians, fish and crustaceans, which it manages to subdue with a venomous bite.
