Diet of the Greater white-toothed shrew Crocidura russula (Mammalia: Soricidae) in Grande Kabylie (Algeria)

The diet of the Greater white-toothed shrew Crocidura russula has been studied for the first time in the native range of the species. In 15 stomach contents collected in the BouzeguSne massif (Grande Kabylie, Algeria) a total of 155 items of seven main taxa were identified: insects (129 specimens), plants (nine fragments), arachnids (seven specimens), centipedes (four), lizard and geckos (three), isopods (two) and land snail (one). In terms of biomass insects are still the major taxon (48.9%), then centipedes (29.7%) and lizards (14.9%). Most prey are small-sized, with a mode at 3 mm (31%) and few large animals (over 10 mm) are also preyed. Despite this usual selection for size in shrews, this diet, quite different from the diet reported in Europe according to prey availability, denotes a generalist and opportunistic insectivore species.