To the population ecology of the masked mouse (Sorex caecutience Laxm.) in the European part of its area. Communication II. Territorialism, habitat areas. Feeding ecology.

As the marking showed, the considered species of all shrews has the lowest degree of sedentariness (the proportion of returns did not exceed 10%), nevertheless, for the majority of the observed animals, habitation in certain areas was established. According to our data, young (non-breeding) animals live within 30.5-95.2 sq. m, breeding young-of- the- year - within 38.0-80.5 sq. m, overwintered females - within 42.2-75.4 sq.m, and overwintered males - within 85.0-136.0 sq. m. At the same time, after females and males are included in breeding, the size of their plots changes: in sedentary overwintered females, the size of the plot does not increase much, while overwintered males significantly expand the used territory, including the plot of the previous year. By the nature of feeding, the mask shrew living in the European part of its range is a typical entomophage. Insects serve as its main food (91 % of encounters), arachnids are noticeably inferior to them in this regard, while other animals and plant-based feed are rarely noted in the summer diet. Overwintered animals consume larvae much more often, and this is typical for all major groups of insects. There is also a discrepancy in the occurrence of stomachs of soil organisms that persistently predominate in the diet of wintering individuals.