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.
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 piebald shrew is a shrew found in the Turan Lowland east of the Caspian Sea in Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It grows to 2 inches (5.1 cm) to 2.75 inches (7.0 cm) in length, and usually hunts for insects and lizards at night. It is the only extant member of the genus Diplomesodon. In 2011, A. Cheke described a new and possibly extinct species based on a 19th-century manuscript: Diplomesodon sonnerati. It was described again in 2018 to meet certain validity requirements of the ICZN code.
The genus Crocidura is one of nine genera of the shrew subfamily Crocidurinae. Members of the genus are commonly called white-toothed shrews or musk shrews, although both also apply to all of the species in the subfamily. With over 180 species, Crocidura contains the most species of any mammal genus. The name Crocidura means "woolly tail", because the tail of Crocidura species are covered in short hairs interspersed with longer ones.
The Asiatic short-tailed shrew is one of three species of shrew in the genus Blarinella. It is in the family Soricidae and is endemic to China.
Blarinella is a small genus of shrews in the subfamily Soricinae of the family Soricidae. It contains the following three species:
The Burmese short-tailed shrew is one of three species of shrew in the genus Blarinella. It is in the family Soricidae and is found in China and Myanmar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
The Cretan shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic and exclusive to the island of Crete, Greece. Its natural habitat is temperate shrubland, and the animal is threatened by habitat loss. It is found in the mountainous highlands of Crete, having been displaced from lower altitudes by the lesser white-toothed shrew.
Goodwin's broad-clawed shrew is a species of mammal in the shrew family, Soricidae. Body length and size of adults average 9.49 cm and 7.0 grams respectively making it a relatively larger shew. What distinguishes this from other shrews are its long claws.
Myosorex is a mammal genus in the Soricidae (shrew) family. The genus, collectively referred to as the mouse shrews, contains these species:
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 Taiwanese gray shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. Previously believed to be endemic to Taiwan, it is now also known to occur in Vietnam.
The Indochinese shrew is a species of white-toothed shrew native to Southeast Asia. It was first identified in 1922 by Herbert C. Robinson and C. Boden Kloss. The species is often taxonomized as a subspecies Horsfield's shrew, but bears a different range, occurring in Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Yunnan province of China. C. indochinensis is on the smaller end of shrews, with dark brownish gray fur and a long, slender tail.
The Phu Hoc shrew is a species of white-toothed shrew native to the island of Phú Quốc, Vietnam. The species was first described by Abramov et al. in 2008. The species' haplogroup is most closely related to the Southeast Asian shrew and C. dracula.
The Bururi forest shrew is a species of mouse shrew native to Burundi. It was first described by Peterhans et al. in 2010, and is defined by a broad hexagonal skull, short tail, and long claws.
The Hutu-Tutsi dwarf shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is known from a small portion of the mountains of tropical Africa.
The Sanetti shrew or Bekele's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Ethiopia.
The Fingui white-toothed shrew or Principe white-toothed shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the island of Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Sokolov's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Vietnam.
