Boulder Shrews

Towards the end of 2017 I finally found a good location with lots of shrew activity.

SecaCam HomeVista keeping a wide eye on the comings and goings underneath a boulder at Paarl

Unfortunately my Birdcam 2.0 is no longer working. As a result I don't have any camera trap that can take good color photographs (white flash) to help with identifying the species...

My best guess is Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew (Rooigrysmuskusskeerbek - Crocidura cyanea)

The SecaCam HomeVista might be very good at detecting the shrews, but the IR images just aren't as good for identification. The feet seem to be very light above, also the flanks and belly seems light. The general shape and size, as well as snout and tail length also seem to point towards Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew, but it is hard to be sure, at least for me.

Looking for something tasty to eat, maybe a scorpion would be nice?

I found a couple of scorpions hiding under the rocks nearby. Most were pretty small and would surely be a tasty treat for a hungry shrew.

Black Creeping Scorpion (Swart Kruipskerpioen - Opisthacanthus capensis) at Paarl Mountain

I always enjoy getting camera trap images of shrews, even if it is usually hard to make out what species it is. It can even be hard just see what the critter is doing. Shrews like to move fast and most photographs are usually just a dark blur. So, when I get a semi-decent pose, but the shrew decided to look away, I should be grateful. It was at least sitting still in front of the camera trap for a split second...

Shrew looking over its kingdom: "everything the light touches" (erm or is it the other way around...)

I'm wrapping up my camera trapping efforts at Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve. The first part of 2018 will most likely revolve around getting the data in order. I usually end up taking a small break between large camera trap projects. Hopefully later in the year I'll get around to doing some short camera trapping sessions at other interesting locations in and around Cape Town.

More Shrew Action

I added a bunch of Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew (Rooigrysmuskusskeerbek - Crocidura cyanea) videos together to form a longer video clip.

Video: Shrew on the prowl

I'll probably move the camera to a new location soon. I was hoping for some good daytime action in front of the camera, but although the shrew passes by the camera during the day it seems a lot more confident during the night and hang around longer after dark.

Seeking The Shrew

I made a quick stop at Tygerberg to switch the SD card on the Bushnell. I was hoping for Shrews. I was very happy when I got home and checked the memory card.

I don't know what it is about these tiny mammals, but I really enjoy them and find them fascinating. I've been on the lookout for a good shrew spot for some time and tried one or two spots with no luck, but when I saw this location I knew I struck gold.

My Bushnell trail camera on the job

I got my angle slightly wrong, but I'll adjust that soon and move the camera back slightly. Still, I'm very pleased with the results.

 Video: Darting past the camera during the day

The shrew in question is the Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew (Rooigrysmuskusskeerbek - Crocidura cyanea).

Video: The shrew gave the camera only a short glimpse

This is not the first time I've photographed a Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew. I photographed one a couple of months ago at Kistenbosch.

Video: This time around a slows down a bit

Some people might confuse a shrew with a rodent, but they are in fact very different and belong to the Soricomorpha order.

Video: Finally some great action in front of the camera

The shrew shared the runway with a couple of rodents. I'll share some of their videos soon.

Video: The last video clip of the shrew before the memory card filled up

As happy as a (Reddish-Grey Musk) Shrew

Finally! I found a shrew. Actually I stumbled upon it. Last week I decided to put my camera next to a boulder, because I couldn't find any better place at the time. I did not expect much from the location and went back 2 days later to move the camera to a "better" area. The camera was set on video mode and when I checked the videos, back in my office, I was very happy! Not only was I surprised to have gotten video footage of animals at all, but I was very surprised when I saw a shrew also frequents the area!

A Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew (Rooigrysmuskusskeerbek)

It took time, some hard research and a night's sleep to convince myself that the shrew in question is a Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew. If you compare this to the shrew I stumbled into in the forest a while ago you might notice the difference in the texture of the hair on the body. I don't have a good enough image of the previous shrew, but after looking at this one I suspect that to be a Forest Shrew. I will have to return to the boulder in the ravine soon, with new motivation to get that shrew.

Possibly sent-marking the edge of the rock using the glands on its body

It is often very difficult to find good information about small mammals and I could find very little concerning this species. In one of the videos it appears to be marking it's territory with sent glands on its body and I found a reference to similar behaviour in another closely related species in the same genus, the Greater Red Musk Shrew. Smell plays an important role for the Greater Red Musk Shrew and particularly males will sent-mark objects in their surroundings using their lateral glands. They also use their neck glands and sometimes their anal glands.

I was definitely surprised at how small this animal is, even compared to other small mammals such as rodents.

The Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew is a small grey to grey brown shrew. The head and body length is about 7.6 cm and weighs about 9 grams. It is widely distributed with a very wide habitat tolerance. It is the most widely distributed shrew in southern Africa. It is predominantly nocturnal, solitary and terrestrial. They can often be found in association with rocks and prefers dense ground level vegetation and deep leaf litter.

Video: Shrew climbing over a rock

They are insectivorous and will eat all sorts of invertebrates. They also consume very small amounts of leaf, seed and other plant material.

Video: Possibly scent-marking on the edge of the rock and then running off

The Afrikaans name for Shrew is Skeerbek, which I rather enjoy. A crude direct translation would be Shave Mouth. I guess it is because its mouth area has less hair and seems as if the hair was shaved off.

The batteries of the Bushnell Trophy Cam finally gave in this week. I have been very impressed with it thus far. The batteries are a lot cheaper and last a lot longer than my Moultrie's. I'm already thinking of saving up for another one :)

I'm hoping to be exploring Tygerberg Nature Reserve with my cameras some time soon so both cameras are at home waiting... Hopefully the camera's aren't here at home for to long...

References:
Gus Mills and Lex Hes (1997). The Complete Book of Southern African Mammals. Cape Town: Struik Winchester. 50.
John D. Skinner & Christian T. Chimimba (2005). The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion. Cape Town: Cambridge University Press. 246-249.