I used to think I had voles but someone once suggested it looked like a shrew. I can't tell, can you? I've googled voles and shrews and they just look the same to me.

(newly caught by dog... good girl...)
{{gwi:1057402}}
{{gwi:1057403}}
{{gwi:1057404}}
Follow-Up Postings:

RE: vole or shrew?

• Posted by: cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on Fri, Jan 5, 07 at 19:01

Shrew. Not a rodent, but an insectivore that is valuable in the garden -- eats large #s of grubs and other unwanted bugs. Harmless and beneficial.

Bad dog. :(

RE: vole or shrew?

• Posted by: wendyb 5A/MA (My Page) on Fri, Jan 5, 07 at 21:36

That's good to know. Before I had a digging dog, I have had problems in the past with hostas being eaten. (and still plant them with protection ever since). Is it likely to have voles and shrews on the same property? I also have had squishy lawn sections some years too.

RE: vole or shrew?

• Posted by: cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on Fri, Jan 5, 07 at 22:11

Yes, voles and shrews can live in the same area. They are not competitors; shrews (insectivores) eat grubs, worms and bugs while voles (rodents) are also called meadow- or fieldmice and eat grains, nuts, berries, bulbs, roots and rhizomes, and tender young shoots (as you know).

RE: vole or shrew?

• Posted by: chelone (My Page) on Sat, Jan 6, 07 at 14:18

Shrew.

RE: vole or shrew?

• Posted by: diggingthedirt CapeCod Z6 (My Page) on Wed, Jan 10, 07 at 19:28

I'm surprised to read that shrews are not rodents - they certainly look like rodents!

Rodents have two incisors in the upper as well as in the lower jaw which grow continuously and must be kept worn down by gnawing; this is the origin of the name, from the Latin rodere, to gnaw, and dens, dentis, tooth.

The shrew is an insectivorous mammal of the family soricidae.

I guess shrews don't have those incisors - they wouldn't need them. Anyway, Wendy, apparently shrews also eat voles, so you'll have to teach your dog to check the incisors before she bites down.

RE: vole or shrew?

• Posted by: cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on Wed, Jan 10, 07 at 20:24

Yes. Insectivores have pointy teeth, not chisel-y ones. The better to hunt grubs and other live prey with.

Rodents gnaw, and wear down their teeth. One of the key characteristics of a rodent is the ability of its teeth to constantly grow. In fact, it must gnaw, or its incisors eventually will grow into its skull. That's the price it pays for being able to chew through a wooden barn wall to get to the grain. Lagomorphs (rabbits, hares and conies) also have regenerating teeth and must gnaw.

Shrews and voles do look similar because they are small and pudgy, with short grayish fur and pointy snouts, and little pink feet. But they are from completely different orders!

The Latin taxon for insectivores (which includes moles and hedgehogs, too, by the way) is Insectivora. Rodents are Rodentia. The organization the same kind of setup as the botanical taxonomy system.

Here's the breakdown for your little (ex-) short-tailed shrew:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Insectivora
Family: Soricidae
Subfamily: Soricinae
Genus: Blarina
Species: Blarina brevicauda -- short tailed shrew

RE: vole or shrew?

• Posted by: hostasz6a z6a MA (My Page) on Mon, Jan 15, 07 at 13:56

I heard some noise in my basement family room last week and thought I would catch a mouse with my Havahart trap. Instead I caught a shrew. We just put him back outside. I love the tunnels they make under the snow, if we ever get snow.

Post a Follow-Up
Your Name:

Your Email Address:

Zone (optional):

Subject of Posting:

Message:

Optional Link URL:

Name of the Link:

A copy of your follow-up will automatically be emailed to the original poster.
Return to the New England Gardening Forum