shrew opossums are about the size of a small rat (9–14 cm long), with thin limbs, a long, pointed snout and a slender, hairy tail. they are largely carnivorous, being active hunters of insects, earthworms and small vertebrates. they have small eyes and poor sight, and hunt in the early evening and at night, using their hearing and long, sensitive whiskers to locate prey. they seem to spend much of their lives in underground burrows and on surface runways.