The smallest animals in the world. Rating of the smallest animals
What is the smallest mammal on Earth?
December 31, 2014
The smallest mammals that live on our planet probably seem defenseless and touching. But due to their tiny size, they have another feature besides their touching appearance. Surprisingly, such tiny sizes only work to their advantage. In this article we will find out what is the smallest mammal on Earth.
Small mammals
The advantages of their size apply to any aspect of the life of representatives of tiny mammals: they have the advantage that they can crawl to the very tips of thin branches, while hunting for insects; and also when the crumbs find the smallest crevices, where they can easily hide from the predators that hunt them. 
So, what is the smallest mammal on the planet? We are talking about those whose size is no larger than a large bumblebee! Let's look at the five tiniest representatives of this animal world in the article below.
American shrew mole
This animal, with its weight of 10 grams (the equivalent of 2 5-cent coins), is a little more than six centimeters long, while its tail sticks out another 2.5 centimeters. But this is not the smallest mammal on Earth. The shrew lives in forests in the northwestern United States, as well as in southeastern British Columbia. 
Like other moles more large sizes, the animal has a fairly long proboscis, which ends in a flattened tip, as well as claws, sharp as knives, which allows it to dig holes with its small paws in search of food.
Dwarf couscous
This is the largest among the tiniest animals in this five Lilliputians. This funny creature looks more like the well-known chinchilla; the dwarf cuscus is a representative of the marsupial family. Therefore, he is a relative of the koala, the kangaroo, the famous Tasmanian marsupial devil, as well as a wombat, a funny herbivorous animal that looks more like a small bear cub. 
The size of this animal ranges from 5 to 10 centimeters at maximum weight at 45 grams. The rest of the smallest mammals on Earth, which we will talk about today, have more modest proportions. At the same time, the dwarf couscous is much smaller than all its other relatives. 
Like its larger brothers, the animal mainly leads night look life. It also uses its own tail to hang upside down, tightly clinging to a convenient branch. For the most part, dwarf couscous lives in Papua New Guinea, Australia and Indonesia. IN winter time year, he curls up into a ball, covers his eyes with his ears and falls into complete numbness (plunges into hibernation). This is how he regulates the metabolism and temperature of his little body, escaping the cold.
Three-toed jerboa
Continuing to find out what the smallest mammal on Earth is, we need to talk about the three-toed half-jerboa. This is simply an unimaginable creature, striking with its touching appearance, in addition, with its amazing energy, indefatigable for this little body. Three-toed jerboa last years is an Internet star. Various videos showing such funny mammals regularly appear there. It weighs only 3 grams at medium length body 5 centimeters! This creature has a tail that is many times longer than its body and reaches 25 cm. 
The animal's homeland is Pakistan and Afghanistan, although 25 species of this tiny animal can be found in China and Central Asia. Interesting fact: The long-eared jerboa - one of its relatives - is so beloved and popular in Afghanistan that in 1989 the government of the country released postage stamp with a picture of this rodent.
Hog-nosed bat
This is truly the smallest mammal on Earth! A bat weighs a maximum of 2 grams and measures on average 3 cm (i.e. about an inch). And we are talking about large individuals! This little one was discovered in 1974 by Kitty Thonglongya, a Thai zoologist, and gave it this name because of its pink little proboscis, which actually somewhat resembles a pig's snout. 
This smallest mammal on Earth lives in caves, as all bats do. But at the same time, the animal prefers to settle in the thicket of forests on the limestone hills, which are located in the southeastern part of Myanmar and in some areas of western Thailand. Due to the constant invasions of tourists and deforestation in the animal’s habitat, the existence of this animal has been endangered. bat. Today it is listed in the Red Book as an animal that is endangered.
Pygmy shrew
So, we found out that the smallest mammal on Earth is the pig-nosed bat. But there are other babies who simply amaze with their size. Among them is the pygmy shrew. Its size is very small, but there are a huge number of names, in addition to those indicated above: Etruscan shrew, little shrew and little shrew. It can rightfully be considered one of the tiniest mammals on our planet, since this creature weighs only two grams at most! In other words, this animal weighs less than an ordinary American dime! 
It should be noted that adult animals have a length of no more than 5 centimeters. Add to this the tail, whose length is about a third of the total body length, and you get a portrait of a baby shrew, the size of which, together with the tail, is approximately six centimeters!
On our planet animal world extremely interesting and varied. Every habitat - forests, oceans, airspace and caves - is inhabited by a huge number of life forms. At the same time, no science fiction writer could endow a fictional planet with such rich and rich life, which our native Earth has.
The world's smallest mammals may seem fragile and defenseless, but their tiny size gives them much more than just a cute look. It is thanks to their small stature that such animals manage to make their way through thin tree branches and catch insects, as well as hide from predators even in small recesses. These tiny mammals are actually the size of a bumblebee.
So, we invite you to familiarize yourself with our gallery of the smallest mammals in the world.
Dwarf couscous
Although this creature has more in common with chinchillas than kangaroos, the pygmy couscous (Cercartetus nanus) is a member of the family of marsupials, which also includes wombats. Tasmanian devils and koalas. Dwarf couscous is 5 to 10 cm long and weighs 10-45 grams.
Like their larger relatives, dwarf couscous are nocturnal and use their tail to hang upside down from trees. They can be found in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. In winter, the dwarf cuscus curls up into a tight ball, closes its eyes with its ears and falls into temporary hibernation. At this time, body temperature and metabolism are so reduced that the animal does not need food other than nutrients from the sebaceous deposits in the tail.
American shrew mole
Weighing only 10 grams, the American shrew mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii) is about 6 cm long, with a tail of 2.5 cm. This animal lives in wet forests northwestern United States and southwestern British Columbia, Canada.
Like other moles, the American shrew mole has a long, flat-tipped snout and sharp claws on its feet for digging. Unlike their mole relatives, which spend most of their lives digging underground passages, the American shrew mole can often be seen searching for food on the surface of the earth. It is also capable of climbing bushes to hunt insects.
Three-toed jerboa
The three-toed jerboa (Salpingotulus michaelis) came to public attention when it became a YouTube sensation in 2010 due to its appearance: it resembles a cross between a mouse and a baby kangaroo. The tiny creature is the world's smallest rodent, weighing only about 3 grams. On average, the three-toed jerboa is 5 cm in length, and the tail is from 7.5 to 25 cm in length.
This animal is found in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but 25 different types jerboas live in Central Asia and China. Representatives of one of these species, the Asia Minor jerboa (Allactaga euphratica), are so beloved in Afghanistan that the government dedicated a stamp to these rodents in 1989.
Etruscan shrew mouse
The Etruscan shrew mouse (Suncus etruscus) weighs only 2 grams. It can grow to a length of 3.5-5 cm, excluding the tail, which makes up a third of the body length.
This baby has a great appetite, she eats twice as much every day own weight. She also has an incredibly fast heart rate of up to 25 beats per second or 1,500 beats per minute. In comparison, the human heart beats on average 72 times per minute. The Etruscan shrew mouse prefers to live in moist grassy fields, this animal is widespread in southern Europe and North Africa, it can also be found in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, Central and South Asia.
Hog-nosed bat
The smallest mammal in the world is the pig-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), it weighs only 2 grams and is 2.5-3 cm long, about the size of a large bumblebee. This animal was discovered by Thai zoologist Kitty Thonglongia in 1974, and it gets its name from its pink, pig-like snout.
These bats live in limestone forest caves and have only been found in small areas in western Thailand and southeastern Myanmar. The pig-nosed bat's habitat is being destroyed by deforestation and tourism, causing it to be classified as endangered International Union protection of nature.
The world's smallest mammals may seem fragile and defenseless, but their tiny size gives them much more than just a cute look. It is thanks to their small stature that such animals manage to make their way through thin tree branches and catch insects, as well as hide from predators even in small recesses. These tiny mammals are actually the size of a bumblebee.
So, we invite you to familiarize yourself with our gallery of the smallest mammals in the world.
Dwarf couscous
Although this creature has more in common with chinchillas than kangaroos, the pygmy couscous (Cercartetus nanus) is a member of the marsupial family, which also includes wombats, Tasmanian devils and koalas. Dwarf couscous is 5 to 10 cm long and weighs 10-45 grams.
Like their larger relatives, dwarf couscous are nocturnal and use their tail to hang upside down from trees. They can be found in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. In winter, the dwarf cuscus curls up into a tight ball, closes its eyes with its ears and falls into temporary hibernation. At this time, body temperature and metabolism are so reduced that the animal does not need food other than nutrients from the sebaceous deposits in the tail.
American shrew mole
Weighing only 10 grams, the American shrew mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii) is about 6 cm long with a 2.5 cm tail. This animal lives in the moist forests of the northwestern United States and southwestern British Columbia, Canada.
Like other moles, the American shrew mole has a long, flat-tipped snout and sharp claws on its feet for digging. Unlike their mole relatives, which spend most of their lives digging underground passages, the American shrew mole can often be seen searching for food on the surface of the earth. It is also capable of climbing bushes to hunt insects.
Three-toed jerboa
The three-toed jerboa (Salpingotulus michaelis) came to public attention when it became a YouTube sensation in 2010 due to its appearance: it resembles a cross between a mouse and a baby kangaroo. The tiny creature is the world's smallest rodent, weighing only about 3 grams. On average, the three-toed jerboa is 5 cm in length, and the tail is from 7.5 to 25 cm in length.
This animal is found in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but 25 different species of jerboas are found in Central Asia and China. Representatives of one of these species, the Asia Minor jerboa (Allactaga euphratica), are so beloved in Afghanistan that the government dedicated a stamp to these rodents in 1989.
Etruscan shrew mouse
The Etruscan shrew mouse (Suncus etruscus) weighs only 2 grams. It can grow to a length of 3.5-5 cm, excluding the tail, which makes up a third of the body length.
This baby has a great appetite, she eats twice her body weight every day. She also has an incredibly fast heart rate of up to 25 beats per second or 1,500 beats per minute. In comparison, the human heart beats on average 72 times per minute. The Etruscan shrew mouse prefers to live in moist, grassy fields, this animal is widespread in southern Europe and northern Africa, it can also be found in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, and central and southern Asia.
Hog-nosed bat
The smallest mammal in the world is the pig-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), it weighs only 2 grams and is 2.5-3 cm long, about the size of a large bumblebee. This animal was discovered by Thai zoologist Kitty Thonglongia in 1974, and it gets its name from its pink, pig-like snout.
These bats live in limestone forest caves and have only been found in small areas in western Thailand and southeastern Myanmar. The pig-nosed bat's habitat is being destroyed by deforestation and tourism, causing it to be classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The smallest mammal in the world April 28th, 2015
We continue to replenish our
Scientists believed that a mammal weighing less than 2.5 grams could not exist on the planet, because its body would not have the conditions for normal metabolism. However, back in the 19th century, from the words of the peasants of Sardinia, Italian zoologists recorded that a shrew weighing 1.2 grams lives on the island.
In our time, the German naturalist A. Gerets spent several years searching for the Lilliputian mouse. And she was lucky...
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... a shrew 5.7 cm long, including its tail, fell into the trap. The animal turned out to be very interesting - it sleeps only two hours a day, absorbs almost three times (and according to some sources 6 times) more food than it weighs.
The tiny animal is also called the “dwarf shrew” or “Etruscan shrew” - it is the smallest mammal in the world. The body length of the shrew rarely exceeds three centimeters.
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The Etruscan shrew moves very quickly and must catch prey every two hours - otherwise it will die of exhaustion. The shrew's main food is insects and other invertebrates (beetles, spiders, grasshoppers), although it can also cope with larger prey - frogs, lizards, etc.
The polytooth resembles a mole in appearance, from which it differs in the presence of a proboscis. It can dig minks and often lives along the edges of fields, vegetable gardens, on the banks of reservoirs in Southern Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia.
Photo 4. 
The metabolic rate of the shrew is characterized not only by the need for a huge amount of food, but also by the work of its cardiovascular system.
As a rule, the shrew's heartbeat reaches 1511 beats/min (25 beats/sec), and its body temperature is 37 C°. However, when the shrew falls into a temporary stupor, called torpor, its temperature drops to 12 C°. Typically, this state of the body occurs during food shortages and with the onset of cold weather. Coming out of torpor is accompanied by a sharp increase in heart rate - from 100 to 800-1200 per minute.
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These days, these exceptional creatures are endangered in some countries. This is largely due to sudden changes in climates to which pygmy shrews are very sensitive. But to a greater extent, the destruction of their homes as a result of agricultural work leads to a decrease in the number of Etruscan shrews. This fact is even more upsetting when you consider that the shrew brings great benefits to people by destroying insect pests in their gardens, orchards and fields.
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The pygmy shrew is a special animal because it is the smallest mammal. The rodent weighs just over 1 gram!
Appearance
The tiny animal looks very cute. The polytooth is similar to an ordinary mouse, only its muzzle is more elongated, and somewhat reminiscent of a proboscis. The length of a large individual is 4.5 centimeters. A notable characteristic of the rodent is its heartbeat. The heart beats 25 times per second. The tail of the shrew is equal to the length of the body. The animal is covered with soft brown fur.
Tiny mouse loves it warm tropical climate. Polytooth inhabits coastal zone Portugal, Malta, France and Greece. The rodent also lives in Asian countries - India, Sri Lanka, China.
The baby prefers to hide in the cracks of rocks and old buildings. The rodent digs holes or settles in the shelters of other animals. The shrew prefers to settle near human habitations. This tiny animal is nocturnal.
Nutrition
The shrew feeds on worms and insect larvae. If the baby feels very hungry, it can feast on a small lizard or frog.
