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Northern short-tailed shrew

Blarina brevicauda
Venomous mammals๐Ÿฆท Bites
Danger to people: MildLike a bee sting or less. Basically harmless to people.

Northern short-tailed shrew belongs to the group: Venomous mammals. It lives in: North America.2

Lives in
North America2
Length
12 cm (4.7 in)2
typical adult size
Top speed
about 4 km/h (2.5 mph)
On land, rough guess

Venom power

Bites

Venom comes out through its fangs or teeth when it bites.

How dangerous is it to people?

Danger to people: MildLike a bee sting or less. Basically harmless to people.

๐Ÿš‘ If it bites or stings

  • Wash the wound well and get medical help.

Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics

โ›‘๏ธ Stay safe

  • Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
  • Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
  • If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.

It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe

How big is it?

How long is it?

Northern short-tailed shrew about 12 cm long (4.7 in)๐ŸšA grain of rice about 7 mm (0.3 in)๐Ÿ“ŽA paper clip about 3 cm (1.2 in)๐ŸŒA banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 4 toy building bricks in a rowcould cover 100 metres in 90 seconds (the fastest human needs 9.6)

How big is Northern short-tailed shrew compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

For venom experts

Scientific name
Blarina brevicauda
Group
Venomous mammals
Family
Soricidae1
Order
Eulipotyphla
Continents
North America
Danger to people
1 / 5: Mild2

Where the facts come from

  1. Blarina brevicauda (iNaturalist): names and classification.
  2. Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are animal fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@venomwiki.app and we will fix it.

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More from the same group: Venomous mammals

Also lives in: North America

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