We found a shrew in our garage mousetrap. We didn't even know we had shrews in our area, much less that they would come into the garage, much less that they'd tangle with a mousetrap. After consulting Mammals of Colorado by "Mr. Mammal" himself, University of Colorado biologist David Armstrong (along with his updated edition, Rocky Mountain Mammals) we've tentatively identified it as a dwarf shrew, Sorex nanus, one of the smallest mammals on earth.
Although they look somewhat like a mouse with an elongated nose, shrews are not rodents but related to moles. They're chiefly insectivores, which made me sadder still at the loss since I'm in favor of anything that preys on insects. Although a different shrew species, the short-tailed shrew, does have a venomous bite, no other North American shrew (including the dwarf shrew) are venomous. They're simply ferocious in their predation.
Along with insects, shrews eat seeds, nuts and worms, so we're not sure why the shrew was attracted to the mousetrap cheese bait. Armstrong writes that five or six kinds of shrews inhabit Rocky Mountain National Park (the sixth is speculative, based on appropriateness of habitat, but has not yet been identified there). Amazingly, biologists know very little about shrews. And would you believe the emblematic habitat or type locality for dwarf shrews, according to Wikipedia and Rocky Mountain Mammals is in--wait for it--Estes Park! The more we read, the sadder we got. We hope to see these shrews once again, but not in a mousetrap.
One caveat: although it's a misogynistic term, there's a reason why bad-tempered women used to be called shrews. If you ever find a shrew, do NOT attempt to capture it or pick it up! They have sharp teeth and are incredibly aggressive all out of proportion to their size, reputedly attacking humans, pets and other creatures with rage-filled abandon. Just Google "youtube shrew attack" to see plenty of short videos of some shrew species attacking salamanders, snakes and each other. Which is probably why shrews in general have such a mixed reputation within human culture. In ancient Egypt there seems to have been some respect for them as terrestrial creatures of the night, but in European folklore going back to the ancient Romans they were universally loathed and feared. Some Indigenous Americans admired shrews for their courage despite their small size, yet other tribes reviled them in the manner of Europeans. Much to my dismay, it appears that in Asian culture shrews represent money; therefore one should never kill a shrew that's come into the house since that will cut off the source of funds (!!). <Big sigh> I hope in our case intention is everything since we had no intention of trapping them.
Watch out for those garage traps, shrew citizens. We don't want you getting into trouble!
Update: My neighbor, a career park service ranger, confirms it's a dwarf shrew. Check out the iNaturalist link for photos and quick facts.
Hey, one more: Mr. Big, the fearsome Brando-esque godfather figure in Zootopia, is a shrew.
Photo at top of a Dwarf Shrew by unknown photographer (unable to locate source)
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