Crocidura flavescens
One of the real highlights of our visit to the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park was an encounter with a rarely seen small mammal: a Greater Red Musk Shrew.
Although it is tiny, weighing only about 30g, the Greater Red Musk Shrew is one of the biggest members of the shrew-family occurring in South Africa. We found the shrew next to a reed bed along the Touw River – typical habitat for the species, although they do occasionally venture into gardens and houses. Greater Red Musk Shrews are insectivores, feeding on a wide range of insects, worms and other invertebrates, and like other shrews have a relatively enormous appetite needing to consume at least half its own weight on a daily basis.
These cute creatures are mostly nocturnal, so we count ourselves very lucky seeing one in daylight (although heavily overcast) and out in the open. By day they hide in grass-nests built slightly above ground level in dense grass cover.
Females give birth to up to 7 young after a gestation of only a month, mainly in the summer months. The babies follow their mother around from 6 days old by forming a “train” nose-to-tail with their siblings. Like other shrews they live extremely fast-paced lives – the young are weaned at only 3 weeks old, reaching sexual maturity when they’re 2-3 months old and then have a life expectancy of maximum 18 months!
The IUCN considers the Greater Red Musk Shrew to be of least concern in conservation terms. It is almost endemic to South Africa, occurring all along our coast from Namaqualand to Maputaland and into extreme southern Mozambique and also along the Drakensberg through Lesotho and eSwatini to the escarpment in Mpumalanga.
Joubert photographing the Greater Red Musk Shrew at Wilderness
How exciting to spend time with and photograph this remarkably cooperative little creature!
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Feels like a once-in-a-lifetime chance, Carol – it certainly is the first time I’ve had such an opportunity.
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I am impressed at how many images you got of a nocturnal animal in the broad light of day. Of what magic do you possess? 🙂
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I think we have the heavily overcast weather to thank for this little one’s daytime adventure, John.
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Totally marvellous that you captured so many views of this tiny creature. Magic to see ‘small game’.
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Very true, Tish. Seeing a shrew in broad daylight happens so rarely, and yet I don’t think many people would’ve given it more than a glance.
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How cool that you saw this, they really look like they would be easy to miss.
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It was pure luck being in the right place at the right time, PJB. But we’ll take it!
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Yup, I wouldn’t pass on a moment like that either.
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Great captures!
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Thank you, Sue! We had a great model.
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Cute little creatures. When we had a cat in our old place it would often bring us a ‘present’ of a live Shrew into the house, hours of fun trying to catch them!
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That must have been a sight to rival F1!
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Wonderful photographs as always – and Joubert’s contributions bode well for his photographic future. We occasionally find elephant shrews in our pool – sadly more often drowned than not, probably because they fall in during the night.
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Your yard must be like the Garden of Eden for them, Anne! Pity they end up in the drink sometimes though, but alas when you live such a short life the end comes soon anyway.
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That is one way of looking at it.
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What a nose! You got a lot of photos of a very elusive creature. Kudos.
janet
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Thank you, Janet. We were very lucky that it played along for the photos!
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I used to see shrews in my backyard when I lived in New Jersey. It’s like a little mouse with a flexible proboscis. Thank you, D. 🙂
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Lucky you, H.J! We see them very seldomly here and then usually only for a second or two.
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Yes, shrews are cute little creatures. Great pictures! The ones I have encountered have been fierce for their diminutive size.
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I’ve read about their fierce nature, Siobhan, but this one didn’t exhibit any aggression. Perhaps if we tried to block its progress it may have been a different story.
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