The Iberian shrew or Lagranja shrew (Sorex granarius ) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Portugal and Spain.
Vermivore (from Latin vermi, meaning "worm" and vorare, "to devour") is a zoological term for animals that eat worms (including annelids, nematodes...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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starts withRelative to other Sorex species, S. granarius is intermediate in size, with a total body length (including the tail) of approximately 103.6 mm and an average weight of 6.3 g. Adults are identified by their dark-colored back, which contrasts with their lighter tan sides and off-white belly. The fur of young shrews has only two discernible colors: the darker color on the back and the lighter color on the belly. In both adults and juveniles, the fur is also adapted for cold, damp habitats: each guard hair possesses an indentation along its length that helps to prevent water from reaching the body.
The skull of S. granarius can be used to distinguish it from other species belonging to the European Sorex araneus group of shrews. Comparatively, the snout of S. granarius is small and flat, the mandible possesses a diminished coronoid process and a narrow angular process, and the temporal fossa of the skull resembles a triangle.
The distribution of S. granarius is lateral through the Central System mountain range of the Iberian Peninsula and reaches Galicia, Spain in the north and the Tagus (Tejo) River in the south. There is also speculation of S. granarius cohabitation with S. coronatus in the Iberian System. In the wild, S. granarius is known to live in woody areas consisting of juniper (Juniperus nana ), beech (Fagus sylvatica ), Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica ), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris ), evergreen oak (Quercus rotundifolia ), ash (Fraxinus ), or birch (Betula ) at 500 to 2000 meter elevations.
