Blarina Explained

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 animals is toxic and is used to subdue prey.^[1]

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 extinct^{[2] [3]}

Ecoepidemiology

Short-tailed shrews are one of the animal reservoirs of the agents of Lyme disease and human babesiosis.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Kita M, Okumura Y, Ohdachi SD, Oba Y, Yoshikuni M, Nakamura Y, Kido H, Uemura D . Purification and characterisation of blarinasin, a new tissue kallikrein-like protease from the short-tailed shrew Blarina brevicauda: comparative studies with blarina toxin . Biological Chemistry . 386 . 2 . 177–82 . February 2005 . 10.1515/BC.2005.022 . 15843162. 2115/7398 . 2884850 . free .
2. Web site: Blarina shermani . 2023-03-30 . NatureServe Explorer.
3. Web site: Blarina shermani Hamilton, 1955 . 2023-03-30 . www.mammaldiversity.org.
4. 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)