Citation
Rates of rewarming, heart and respiratory rates and their significance for oxygen transport during arousal from torpor in the smallest mammal, the Etruscan shrew Suncus etruscus
TL;DR
Etruscan shrew heart rate: 835±107 bpm at rest
Documents the extreme metabolic demands of the smallest mammal, providing empirical data on how scaling constraints affect the smallest organisms. The shrew's 835±107 bpm resting heart rate (up to 1511 bpm maximal) illustrates the metabolic price of small size.
Key Findings from Fons et al. (1997)
- Etruscan shrew heart rate: 835±107 bpm at rest
- Maximal heart rates reach 1511 bpm - highest recorded for any endotherm
- Demonstrates extreme metabolic demands at minimum mammalian body size