Greater Musk
Shrew (Crocidura flavescens)
 Description: Brown in coloration with
buffy underparts
Size: The total
length averages 15.6cm, the tail around 5.1cm and weighs around 24g.
Habitat: Can thrive
in almost any habitat with a great deal of moisture and will also
frequent houses and gardens.
Behavior: Mainly
nocturnal, but activity increases around dawn and dusk. Greater Musk
shrews use scent glands and feces to mark territories. They can climb
quite well.
Diet: Invertebrates
and small rodents make up the bulk of the diet. Food may be hoarded and
stored.
Predators: Owls,
mustelids and mongoose as well as domestic cats.
Reproduction:
Gestation lasts from 28-36 days. An average of four young are born.
Young reach sexual maturity around 2-3 months and are born in nests
created in the grass. By 6 days the young are ready to venture out and
do so by gripping the fur of the mother or other young and forming a
caravan. The Greater Musk shrew lifespan is only around 18 months.
On Wildcliff:
Captured while trapping in August 2008 near the Talari Stream and
Hidden Valley areas.
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