The masked shrew is one of the smallest mammals. This insectivorous animal with a pointed muzzle lives in forests and tundra of North America and has a very fast metabolism.
The masked shrew differs from related species by its dark mask on the muzzle and very small body mass. It is important for nature because it regulates the population of insects and serves as food for many predators.
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Worker
Tail size
birth time
breeding
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
summer mild, +15…+20 °C
lots of rain, warm summer, snow in winter
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
very cold, short summer, almost no trees, lots of moss
days
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
whiskers
adult
Maturity
invertebrates
insects
About health
milk
cool, lots of coniferous trees, snow in winter
Searches for food on or among rocks and stony surfaces.
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Snout color
Repro interval
results
earthworms
Eyes count
Colors
Cool summer
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
alpine meadows and arctic tundra on land
Trophic type
all living animals without backbone
Filters
Captures or processes food by biting or nipping with the mouth.
Upcoming birthdays
Winter with snow
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
leaf
in a burrow
nest on the ground
rains almost always, very humid
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
Age (juvenile)
insect larvae and caterpillars
Age (from birth to death)
rock
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
Food items are collected from exposed outer surfaces of substrates.
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Tundra
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
nest located directly on the ground surface on land, only the mother provides parental care for the offspring
in a terrestrial nest
live birth
leaf litter
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
nest hidden in an underground burrow
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Pets
Nearctic realm
biting
Lots of rain and cool summer
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
lateral line
{name} jubilee
cm
Temperate coniferous forest
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
terrestrial herbaceous
Tail color
olfaction
Flooded grasslands
drink mother's milk in childhood
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
alpine and arctic tundra
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
larvae
lots of rain, cool summer, snow in winter
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Foraging among accumulated fallen leaves on the forest floor.
Bro
normal sexual
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
Forages within or on the surface of soil or substrate.
spiders
age
birth date
rest
Fur color
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
climbing
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
surface
primary food sources
teeth
burrow
after transformation until death
Potential Habitat
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Mass
cold winter, lots of coniferous trees: spruce, pine
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Plants
Gestation
land
{name} birthday
Food is gathered directly from leaf surfaces.
Nearctic realm
soil
grass
No results found
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
On the map
lunge
Pleasant summer
all life stages
Female ♀
nest located directly on the ground surface on land
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
Shelter used specifically for reproduction or nesting.
Maturity
Skin color
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
Snout size
protection from sun
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
spiders
Neither
Moving up vertical surfaces like trunks or rocks to reach food.
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
caring mother
What do they eat?
insect larvae
Where do they live?
moss
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
Lots of rain and warm summer
much snow in winter, cold
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
water often floods the land, lots of grass
Temperate mixed forest
snout
Duration
live insects
hunting using smell and vibrissae
This is me
Always very wet
Gamers
Teeth count
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
live spiders — arachnids of all sizes
terrestrial
earthworms
Taiga
Asexual
swap
active predation
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Sensory system detecting water movements to locate prey.
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
earthworms and soil oligochaetes
foraging
body
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Grape
8 to 11 grams, 1.5 – 8 centimeters
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
embryo
summer warm, many oaks, birches, maples
Length
kg
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
Observations
◉{N} more on tap