Subterranean foraging and burrowing activity of the common shrew

Abstract

Common shrews Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758, were maintained in outdoor enclosures provided with soil and leaf litter and investigations made of their ability to locate pupae buried at different depths and densities in the soil. Information was collected on the burrowing activity of shrews. The methods of prey location and the use of subterranean tunnels by shrews are discussed.