Conservation Status: Locally common
Hertfordshire: Scarce
Protection: Shrews are listed on Schedule 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This prtects them from being trapped without a licence (unless precautions are taken to ensure they remain alive).
General Information: Distinguished from other shrews by black dorsal fur, silvery-grey underside, larger size, and swimming & diving behaviour. Recorded at lower densities than common shrews. Patchily distributed, not always near water but often associated with clear, fast flowing, unpolluted rivers, and frequently found by watercress beds. Mainly nocturnal, they inhabit extensive burrow systems in the banks of streams. They will forage on land and under water on a wide variety of invertebrates plus small fish, frogs and newts.
Threats: Although there is no firm evidence (due to lack of data), water shrews are likely to be threatened by disturbance and modification of waterside banks and vegetation. A decline in water quality is also likely to have a significant impact on water shrew populations.
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