The genus Blarina, commonly called short-tailed shrews, is a genus of relatively large shrews with relatively short tails found in North America.
Description
They have 32 teeth and are in the red-toothed shrew subfamily. They generally have dark fur and thick feet. The saliva of these
venomous mammals is toxic and is used to subdue prey.
Species
Species are:
-
Northern short-tailed shrew B. brevicauda
-
Southern short-tailed shrew B. carolinensis
-
Elliot's short-tailed shrew B. hylophaga
-
Everglades short-tailed shrew B. peninsulae
-
Sherman's short-tailed shrew B. shermani; possibly Extinction
Ecoepidemiology
Short-tailed shrews are one of the animal reservoirs of the agents of
Lyme disease and human
babesiosis.
[Telford III, S. R., Mather, T. N., Adler, G. H., & Spielman, A. (1990). Short-tailed shrews as reservoirs of the agents of Lyme disease and human babesiosis. The Journal of parasitology, 681-683 ( abstract)]
