The origins of the species

Even the most voracious and bloodthirsty shrew must begin as a small pink bean, cared for, licked over and, all being well, uneaten by its mother.

In this illustration we see a small healthy specimen at that young stage described by snake wranglers as 'a fuzzy'. Closer examination will reveal a facial expression which shows endearing shrewly promise.

No record remains of the volume of worms eaten at this stage.

This individual was observed to steal dog biscuits. It is a matter of speculation how this affected its later development.