Critter: Desert shrew

Shakespeare never met a shrew like this. But that's because he never visited the southwestern United States, where you find these guys. But the desert shrew, aka Notiosorex crawfordi, might be hard to find anyway, because he doesn't leave very distinguished tracks. He doesn't dig holes, either; he lives in woodrat nests or underneath vegetation.

Oh yes, he's also very small. Only 2 to 3 inches long. Hold a penny in one hand and a nickel in the other, and this shrew will weigh in somewhere in between.

He belongs to an order of mammals called insectivores, meaning he eats bugs, but also lizards and even small mice. He is apparently immune to scorpion venom, so he eats those, too. He eats 75 percent of his body weight every day, but doesn't need to drink water because he gets it all from food.

Be glad you're much larger than he is, because you wouldn't want to be on his list of favorite foods. He keeps food in his nest fresh by keeping it alive. How, you ask? He crushes their heads and bites off their legs. Not fun.

This guy does have predators of his own, nocturnal animals out hunting when he is. Owls and snakes are the reason the desert shrew only lives for about a year.