Several people viewing the next image, of shrew tracks, wondered what a shrew looked like. So, here is a photo. Unfortunately this one is no longer alive. In fact, the only time I ever get to really look closely at a shrew is when I find one dead. The live ones I see move so quickly they are a blur seen for a second and then gone.

This shrew was in the middle of a boardwalk over a wet area on a trail. It was not there when I first walked across it, but when I came back 30 minutes later, there it was. It is not uncommon to see dead shrews, most without a mark on them. THese little insectivores need to eat constantly and if they don't, they die. They eat not only insects, but earthworms, snails, frogs, mice, and anything else they can catch.