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Litter Size

How many babies does a Prairie shrew have at once? (litter size)

How many baby Prairie shrews are in a litter?

A Prairie shrew (Sorex haydeni) usually gives birth to around 7 babies.

Each of those little ones spend around 20 days as a fetus before they are released into the wild. Upon birth, they weight 90 grams (0.2 lbs) and measure 2.5 cm (0′ 1″). They are a member of the Soricidae family (genus: Sorex). An adult Prairie shrew grows up to a size of 6.3 cm (0′ 3″).

To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.

The average litter size of a Prairie shrew is 7

The prairie shrew (Sorex haydeni) is a small shrew found in the Canadian prairies and midwestern United States. At one time, this species was considered to be a subspecies of the similar cinereus shrew, S. cinereus.It is brown in colour with light grey underparts with a long tail. Its body is about 8 cm in length including a 3 cm long tail. It weighs about 4 g. This animal is found in open grasslands, often near water. It eats insects, worms, snails, small mammals and seeds. Predators include hawks, owls, snakes, and foxes. This animal is active day and night year-round. It mates between spring and fall. 3 to 6 young are born in a nest under a log or rocks.

Other animals of the family Soricidae

Prairie shrew is a member of the Soricidae, as are these animals:

Animals that share a litter size with Prairie shrew

Those animals also give birth to 7 babies at once: