The genus Blarina is a group of relatively large shrews with relatively short tails found in North America. They have 32 teeth and are in the red-toothed shrew subfamily. They generally have dark fur and thick feet. The saliva of these animals is toxic and is used to subdue prey. Species are: Northern short-tailed shrew B. brevicauda Southern short-tailed shrew B. carolinensis Elliot's short-tailed shrew B. hylophaga Everglades short-tailed shrew B. peninsulae Ecoepidemiology Short-tailed shrews are one of the animal reservoirs of the agents of Lyme disease and human babesiosis. References Mammal genera Animals that use echolocation Taxa named by John Edward Gray