Shrew mole

Last updated February 22, 2019

A shrew mole or shrew-mole is a mole that resembles a shrew. Species with that name include:

The shrew is a small mole-like mammal classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, or the West Indies shrews, which belong to different families or orders.

Five species in the subfamily Uropsilinae, or "shrew-like moles", native to China:
- Equivalent teeth shrew mole (Uropsilus aequodonenia)
- Anderson's shrew mole (Uropsilus andersoni)
- Gracile shrew mole (Uropsilus gracilis)
- Inquisitive shrew mole (Uropsilus investigator)
- Chinese shrew mole (Uropsilus soricipes)
The inquisitive shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to the Yunnan province of China, although its range is thought to extend over the border into Burma.
The Chinese shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China, Sichuan Province. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
Two species in the tribe Urotrichini, or himizu, native to Japan:
- Japanese shrew mole (Urotrichus talpoides)
- True's shrew mole (Dymecodon pilirostris)
The Japanese shrew mole or himizu (ヒミズ) is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan and is found on Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Awaji Island, Shodo Island, Oki Islands, Tsushima Island, Goto Islands, Mishima Island, and Awashima Island, but is absent from Hokkaido, which is north of Blakiston's Line. It is one of three Urotrichini and it is the only species in the genus Urotrichus. It is common between sea level and approximately 2,000 m.
True's shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan and is a common species above 1000 meters in grassland, shrubland and forest.
One species in the tribe Neurotrichini, native to Pacific North America:
- American shrew-mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii)

The equivalent teeth shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Sichuan, China. It is characterized by having nine teeth in the row above and nine teeth in the lower row. The data indicate that it is the sister taxon of U. andersoni. Its specific name, aequodonenia, means 'equivalent teeth' in Latin.

The Anderson's shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China. Its species name "andersoni" was chosen to honor American scientific collector Malcolm Playfair Anderson.

The gracile shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in China and Myanmar.

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Moles are small mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have cylindrical bodies; velvety fur; very small, inconspicuous ears and eyes; reduced hindlimbs; and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging. The term "mole" is especially and most properly used for "true moles" of the Talpidae family in the order Eulipotyphla found in most parts of North America, Asia, and Europe; although it may also refer to other unrelated mammals of Australia and southern Africa which have similarly evolved the mole body plan. The term is not applied to all talpids; e.g. desmans and shrew-moles differ from the common definition of "mole".

The family Talpidae includes the moles, shrew moles, desmans, and other intermediate forms of small insectivorous mammals of the order Eulipotyphla. Talpids are all digging animals to various degrees: moles are completely subterranean animals; shrew moles and shrew-like moles somewhat less so; and desmans, while basically aquatic, excavate dry sleeping chambers; whilst the quite unique star-nosed mole is equally adept in the water and underground. Talpids are found across the Northern Hemisphere and southern Asia, Europe, and North America, although none are found in Ireland nor in the Americas south of northern Mexico.

The red-toothed shrews of the subfamily Soricinae are one of three living subfamilies of shrews, along with Crocidurinae and Myosoricinae. In addition, the family contains the extinct subfamilies Limnoecinae, Crocidosoricinae, Allosoricinae and Heterosoricinae. These species are typically found in North America, northern South America, Europe and northern Asia. The enamel of the tips of their teeth is reddish due to iron pigment. The iron deposits serve to harden the enamel and are concentrated in those parts of the teeth most subject to wear.

The subfamily Talpinae, sometimes called "Old World moles" or "Old World moles and relatives", is one of three subfamilies of the mole family Talpidae, the others being the Scalopinae, or New World moles, and the Uropsilinae, or shrew-like moles.

The shrew moles (Uropsilus) are shrew-like members of the mole family of mammals endemic to the forested, high-alpine region bordering China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, external ears, and small forefeet unspecialized for burrowing. Although they are similar to shrews in size, external appearance, and, presumably, ecological habits, they are nevertheless talpids and considered true moles, as they share a full zygomatic arch with all other moles, while this arch is completely absent in shrews.

The American shrew mole is the smallest species of mole. It is the only living member of the genus Neurotrichus and the tribe Neurotrichini. It is also known as Gibb's shrew mole and least shrew mole. It is not closely related to the Asian shrew mole. The reason that it is called a "shrew mole" instead of being called either a "shrew" or a "mole" is because of its fur, which is a characteristic of shrews and its large head and heavy dentition, which is characteristic of moles.

<i>Neurotrichus</i> genus of small insectivorous mammals

Neurotrichus is a genus of shrew-like moles. It is classified, together with the fossil genus Quyania, in the tribe Neurotrichini of the subfamily Talpinae. The only living species is the American shrew-mole (N. gibbsii) of the northwestern United States and British Columbia. A fossil species, ?Neurotrichus columbianus from the Hemphillian of Oregon, was placed in the genus in 1968, but this animal is now thought to be more closely related to the Chinese fossil genus Yanshuella. Another fossil species, Neurotrichus polonicus from the Plio-Pleistocene of Poland, was assigned to Neurotrichus in 1980, and a second Polish Pliocene species, N. minor was added in 1993. Although it was proposed in 2004 to place these two species in Quyania, this has not been universally accepted. Because the name N. minor was preoccupied, it was replaced with Neurotrichus skoczeni in 2010.

Urotrichini tribe of small insectivorous mammals

Urotrichini is a tribe of the mole family, and consists of Japanese and American shrew-moles. They belong to the Old World moles and relatives branch of the mole family (Talpidae). There are only two species, each of which represents its own genus. The name "shrew-moles" refers to their morphological resemblance to shrews, while generally being thought of as "true moles". The species are the Japanese shrew mole, True's shrew mole and American shrew mole.

Scalopinae subfamily of small insectivorous mammals

The Scalopinae, or New World moles, are one of three subfamilies of the family Talpidae, which consists of moles and mole-like animals; the other two subfamilies being the Old World Talpids and the Chinese Shrew-like Moles (Uropsilinae). The Scalpidae are the only Talpidae subfamily to consist entirely of undisputed moles and no mole-like close relatives such as shrew-moles or desmans. They are found virtually everywhere soil conditions permit in North America, except northern Canada and those areas of northeastern Mexico where the soil isn't too sandy. There is also one species which lives in China.

Asian mole shrews (Anourosorex) are a genus of shrews that resemble moles, from China, Taiwan, India, and Indochina. They are the only known genus of the Anourosoricini tribe of red-toothed shrews. The four known species are:

A mole shrew is a shrew that resembles a mole. Species with that name include: