Can You Comb Your Hair with Your Feet?
The sun shone brightly down on the clear waters of Bonneville Lake in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. The gray fortresses of the mountains stared moodily down from their lofty heights as if daring us to climb them. The water lapped gently at the rock we sat on as we munched a snack, and we were glad to rest in the sun for a while before continuing the trek out of the mountains.
Then, suddenly, a gray-brown streak shot through the water in front of us. What could it be? As we looked closer, we noticed a small, furry body, a pointed snout, and a long tail.
“It’s a water shrew!” we all shouted.
What is a Water Shrew?
The water shrew is a small, mouselike mammal that is at home in and around water. It lives by mountain lakes and streams from Canada to Arizona and east to New England and North Carolina. Although similar to a mouse, it is not a rodent. Shrews belong to an order of mammals known as insectivores, meaning they eat insects. In particular, water shrews feed on mayfly and stonefly nymphs as well as terrestrial invertebrates. In turn, water shrews must always watch out for their main predators: large trout, bass, pikes, pickerels, mink, and weasels.
How Do Water Shrews Deal with Their Watery Environment?
God has designed water shrews perfectly to live in and around water. First, their fur is water resistant. This obviously helps the shrew as it dives and swims in streams and lakes, but sometimes the fur still becomes wet. What can the water shrew do now? Well, located on the shrew’s hind foot is a fringe of hairs. If a water shrew gets wet, it climbs out of the water and combs itself all over with its hind foot
As if this wasn’t cool enough, the “comb” on a shrew’s foot also allows it to walk on water! In order for this to happen, the fringe of hairs traps air bubbles – the shrew can now run across the surface, with the bubbles making it “float”!
Now, you may be wondering why the rest of a water shrew’s fur doesn’t trap bubbles of air. The fact is, it does, and this also helps the shrew. When the shrew dives beneath the surface, its fur catches air bubbles. That way, when the water shrew is finished its dive, it can float right back up!
As you can see, the water shrew is an intriguing animal! Look closely at each animal you see, whether it’s an ant or an eagle or a hulking bear. You will see that God has given each animal exactly what it needs to survive in its own environment. Every animal reflects God’s awesome power and wisdom! (Genesis 1:25).
Artwork by Daniel Venturo
Information from: Whitaker, John O., Jr. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1980.
