Study of the Ecology of the Eurasian Pygmy Shrew (Sorex minutus L.) in the European Part of Its Range: Report I. Quantity, Biotopic Distribution, Daily Activity, and Feeding Habits

This paper shows the results of a population ecological study of the Eurasian pygmy shrew living on the northwestern European periphery of its range. Long-term materials on its population were collected during stationary and expeditionary research covering Karelia and the regions adjacent to Eastern Fennoscandia. As in Siberia, the Eurasian pygmy shrew is characterized by a rather high habitat versatility in the European part of its range; however, it clearly prefers littered grass–green-moss pine forests with an admixture of deciduous species and spruce here. At the same time, the Eurasian pygmy shrew is one of the few mammal species most sensitive to cutting of the maternal canopy of mature coniferous stands.