Shrew
Anourosorex
Blarina
Blarinella
Chimarrogale
Congosorex
Crocidura
Cryptotis
Diplomosodon
Feroculus
Megasorex
Myoserex
Neomys
Notiosorex
Paracrocidura
Ruwenzorisorex
Scutisorex
Solisorex
Sorex
Soriculus
Suncus
Surdisorex
Sylvisorex
</table>
Shrews are small, superficially mouse-like
mammals of the
family Soricidae. Although their external appearance is generally that of a
mouse with a long nose, the shrews are not
rodents and not closely related: the shrew family is part of the
order Insectivora. Shrews are also not to be confused with
tree shrews, which are also unrelated, and belong to their own order,
Scandentia.
There are 312 species of shrew in 23 genera, which are grouped into two subfamilies. Shrews are distributed almost worldwide: of the major temperate land masses, only New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand do not have native shrews at all;
South America has shrews only in the far-northern tropical part. In terms of species diversity, the shrew family is the second or third most successful mammal family of all: being rivalled only by the rats and mice (family
Muridae with about 1300 species) and one of the bat families (
Vespertilionidae with 303).
In general, shrews are terrrestrial creatures that forage for seeds, insects, nuts, worms and a variety of other foods in leaf litter and dense vegetation, however some specialise in climbing trees, living underground, or even an aquatic lifestyle. All shrews are small, most no more than mouse size. The largest species is the House Shrew (
Suncus murinus) of tropical Asia which is about 15 cm long and weighs around 100 grams; several are very small, notably the
Pygmy White-toothed Shrew (
Suncus etruscus) which at about 3.5 cm and 2 grams is regarded as the smallest living mammal.
Unusually among mammals (but not uniquely so - c.f.
platypus), some species of shrew are
venomous.
