The Northern Short-tailed Shrew is one of the few venomous mammals in North America, producing toxic saliva in modified salivary glands that can immobilize small prey. It is a powerfully built, steel-gray shrew with tiny, nearly concealed eyes and a very short tail. Its musk glands produce an odor strong enough to make it unpalatable to many predators.
Habitat
Forests, fields, wetlands, and suburban areas
Diet
Earthworms, beetles, voles, and plant matter
How common
Common
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