Physical Description
The Arctic Shrew is most distinctive in its tricolored fur. It is dark brown or black on its back from its head to the base of its tail, while its flanks are a lighter brown, and its underside is lighter still grayish brown. Even its tail is bi-colored, dark brown on the dorsal side, and gradually fading to a lighter brown on the ventral side. The fur is grayer in winter time, and its tricolor is most marked during the winter months from October to June, for the fur is thicker and brighter. Arctic shrews molt twice a year, and the tricolor bands in the fur are less prominent in younger shrews.
Its body length ranges from 10 cm to 12 cm including a 4 cm long tail. Its mass may range from 5 g to 13 g and it possesses thirty-two teeth with and average metabolism of 4.7 kilocalories a day.
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