Shrews are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different families or orders.
Elephant shrews, also called jumping shrews or sengis, are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea. Their traditional common English name "elephant shrew" comes from a perceived resemblance between their long noses and the trunk of an elephant, and their superficial similarity with shrews in the order Eulipotyphla. However, phylogenetic analysis has revealed that elephant shrews are not properly classified with true shrews, but are in fact more closely related to elephants than to shrews. In 1997, the biologist Jonathan Kingdon proposed that they instead be called "sengis", a term derived from the Bantu languages of Africa, and in 1998, they were classified into the new clade Afrotheria.
The northern short-tailed shrew is the largest shrew in the genus Blarina, and occurs in the northeastern region of North America. It is a semifossorial, highly active, and voracious insectivore and is present in a variety of habitats like broadleaved and pine forests among shrubs and hedges as well as grassy river banks. It is notable in that it is one of the few venomous mammals. The specific epithet, brevicauda, is a combination of the Latin brevis and cauda, meaning "short tail".
The American pygmy shrew is a small shrew found in Northern Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States, south through the Appalachian Mountains. It was first discovered in 1831 by naturalist William Cane in Georgian Bay, Parry Sound.
The Arctic shrew, also known as the blackback shrew or saddlebacked shrew, is a medium-sized shrew found in Canada and the northern United States. Separate species status has been proposed for the maritime shrew which is found in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and had been considered to be a subspecies of the Arctic shrew. The tundra shrew was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Arctic shrew.
The smoky shrew is a medium-sized North American shrew found in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States and extends further south along the Appalachian Mountains.
The vagrant shrew, also known as the wandering shrew, is a medium-sized North American shrew. At one time, the montane shrew and the Orizaba long-tailed shrew were considered to belong to the same species.
Hildegarde's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Considered by some authorities to be a subspecies of Crocidura gracilipes, it is now recognised as a separate species, with a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 52. This is one of three species of small mammal named by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas in honour of anthropologist Hildegarde Beatrice Hinde.
Baird's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to northwest Oregon. Baird's shrew inhabits moist conifer forests.
The lesser striped shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in China, Myanmar, and Nepal.
The Iberian shrew or Lagranja shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Portugal and Spain.
The ornate shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae (shrews). It is endemic to western North America, ranging from Northern California in the United States to Baja California in Mexico. Eight subspecies are known, including the extinct tule shrew, known only from four specimens collected in 1905, and the Suisun ornate shrew, a species of conservation concern in California. Through skull morphology research and genetic testing on Ornate shrew populations, it has been shown that there are three main genetic subdivisions: The Southern, Central and Northern. These three genetic subdivisions of Ornate shrew arose from populations of Ornate shrews getting geographically isolated from other populations.
Preble's shrew is a small shrew distributed across the Great Basin of the United States and southern British Columbia in Canada.
The Shinto shrew is a species of shrew of the genus Sorex that lives only on the islands of Japan. It is a mole-like mammal with a pointed snout, very small ears, and a relatively long tail. Like most shrews, it is tiny, has poor eyesight, and a very good sense of hearing and smell which it uses to locate its prey, mainly insects.
The Chinese shrew or dusky shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to China, where it occurs in Gansu, Sichuan, and Shaanxi. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest.
The San Cristobal shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Mexico. It is known only from the Huitepec Ecological Reserve west of San Cristóbal de las Casas in the Chiapas Highlands of central Chiapas. It is found at 2,743 m (8,999 ft) elevation in montane cloud forests.
The Inyo shrew is a species of shrew found in the western United States. It is light gray and white in color, with a narrow skull and small body size, very similar in appearance to the related dwarf shrew, but paler and not as large. It can be found in many different habitats, from rocky, mountainous regions to wetlands and riparian areas. Not much is known about its behavioral and reproductive habits. While barely studied, their population is believed to be stable and not under any threat.
Trowbridge's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in southern British Columbia in Canada and in Washington, Oregon, and California in the United States.
The southeastern shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in the southeastern United States.
There are at least 50 small mammal species known to occur in Yellowstone National Park.
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