Description
This shrew has a total length of 108 to 140 mm (4.3 to 5.5 inches), of which 18 to 32 mm (0.7 to 1.3 inches) is tail; it weighs 15 to 30 grams (0.5 to 1.1 ounces). The northern short-tailed shrew exhibits slight sexual dimorphism in size, with the male being slightly larger than the female. The dorsal fur is thick and velvety, and can be black, brownish black, or silvery gray, with the ventral fur being a bit lighter and grayer. The shrew molts from a summer coat, which is shorter and paler than the winter pelage in October and November, and back again sometime in February through July. The tail is quite short, amounting to less than 25% of total body length (as measured from tip of snout to base of tail) length. The species has one upper incisor, five unicuspids (simple teeth that cannot be easily identified), a premolar (the fourth), and three molars in the upper jaw. The lower dentition is identical, except only one is unicuspid. Three well-developed scent glands are present, one on each side of the animal and one ventral. The scent may be used for marking territories, though the shrew's sense of smell is thought to be poor.
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