NEXT UP: Raccoon Dog (#3) vs. Northern Short-tailed Shrew (#14)!!!! #2020MMM
Raccoon Dogs are omnivores native to Eastern Asia. Despite the characteristic black bandit mask & brown fur, they are actually not closely related to raccoons! Their common name is half correct though, they are closely related to foxes. #2020MMM 
While Raccoon Dogs are smol (~70cm long or 2.3 stoats), they make up for it with floof! Their characteristic long and silky brown fur can provide greater insulating warmth than arctic foxes! #2020MMM
In an attempt to harvest that fur, Raccoon Dogs were transported around the world. Unfortunately being smol & full of tanuki trickery, Raccoon Dogs escaped & now can be found across Europe. bit.ly/3cPYRWn #2020MMM
Northern Short-tailed Shrews are the biggest of their genus, a whopping 110mm long! They are covered with short, dense & silky charcoal fur that obscures their ears. #2020MMM
Being tiny means N. Short-tailed shrews are always hungry, with one of the highest mass-specific metabolic rates among mammals. As such they are voracious predators which will eat almost anything! #2020MMM (bit.ly/2TZwbl3)
To eat every.single.thing N. Short-tailed Shrews are one of the few 'venomous' mammals! They secrete a toxic saliva from glands near their distinctive piercing incisors #2020MMM
Short-tailed shrew venom paralyzes insects enabling the shrews to slowly eat their prey over time. This venom will even kill small mammals! Only 10.2mg of toxin is necessary to kill a 3kg animal! (pnas.org/content/101/20…) #Foreshadowing #2020MMM
Tonight's' bout occurs in the lush, wet forests of Japan near Shiraito no Taki, on the outskirts of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park (bit.ly/3aQcd3g). Raccoon Dog is out aimlessly looking for food...& smells something suspicious! #2020MMM
Short-tailed shrews produce pungent odors, scientists have shown prey recognize & alter foraging behaviors! (peerj.com/articles/4923/) #ItMeee #ActualLivingScientist #2020MMM
The Shrew is in a totally new territory, but feeling at home in the moist leaf litter & with a grumbling stomach it has been searching for scrumptious insects and amphibians. #2020MMM
Raccoon Dogs do not have the manual dexterity of raccoons, with fox-like paws and short stubby legs. So instead of reaching with a paw, Raccoon Dog probes the leaf litter with its snout, sniffing out potential prey items. #2020MMM
Investigating the strange smell, Raccoon Dog unsuspectingly puts its nose next to the N. Short-tailed Shrew. Then there is a sudden rustle of leaves, a small squeak, and a chomp... #2020MMM
The Raccoon Dog quickly snatches and eats the Northern Short-tailed Shrew without sustaining any damage. #2020MMM
RACCOON DOG defEATS NORTHERN SHORT-TAILED SHREW!!!!!!!!! #2020MMM
