We also showed that this is a general phenomenon in Sorex shrews. Based on just the climate at our North Carolina site, we were able to predict the magnitude of shrinkage that we observed in the field.

Here is a cool image of the braincase shrinkage between Spring and subsequent Winter💀

Winter decreases in body mass, braincase height, and femur length were 13%, 11.5%, and 8.7%. Each rebounds the following spring in second-year individuals.

But, the phenomenon has been studied only sporadically in North American shrews. So, we studied the masked shrew (Sorex cinereus) in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina for two years. This species weighs 2-5 grams and is active all winter.

Ahhhhhh Spring. A time to replenish, revive, and…. REGROW YOUR BONES?!?

a🧵on a new paper