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Found dead: common shrew (Sorex aranaeus)

This tiny creature (4-8 cm in length, 5-12 grams) is the second most common mammal in the British Isles. Although it resembles a mouse it is actually related to the mole and likewise is not a rodent, being insectivorous. As well as insects it consumes worms, larvae, slugs and snails and with a high metabolic rate it needs to eat every 2 or 3 hours. It can be recognised by its pointed snout and yellow teeth; owing to the foul taste produced by glands in its skin it is not unusual to find dead specimens, such as this one on the coast path, which have been rejected by a predator, perhaps a bird of prey in this case.