Shrew

Family of mammals

For other uses, see Shrew (disambiguation).

Shrews[1]

Temporal range: Middle Eocene–Recent

PreꞒ

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Mammalia
Order:  | Eulipotyphla
Family:  | Soricidae
G. Fischer, 1814
Type genus
Sorex

Subfamilies

* Crocidurinae
* Myosoricinae
* Soricinae

Shrews (family Soricidae) 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.

Although its external appearance is generally that of a long-nosed mouse, a shrew is not a rodent, as mice are. It is, in fact, a much closer relative of hedgehogs and moles; shrews are related to rodents only in that both belong to the Boreoeutheria magnorder. Shrews have sharp, spike-like teeth, whereas rodents have gnawing front incisor teeth.

Shrews are distributed almost worldwide. Among the major tropical and temperate land masses, only New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and South America have no native shrews. However, as a result of the Great American Interchange, South America does have a relatively recently naturalised population, present only in the northern Andes.

The shrew family has 385 known species, making it the fourth-most species-diverse mammal family. The only mammal families with more species are the muroid rodent families (Muridae and Cricetidae) and the bat family Vespertilionidae.

## Characteristics

[edit]

All shrews are tiny, most no larger than a mouse. The largest species is the Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus) of tropical Asia, which is about 15 cm (6 in) long and weighs around 100 g (3+1⁄2 oz)[2] The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), at about 3.5 cm (1+3⁄8 in) and 1.8 grams (28 grains), is the smallest known living terrestrial mammal.

Water shrew skeleton

In general, shrews are terrestrial creatures that forage for seeds, insects, nuts, worms, and a variety of other foods in leaf litter and dense vegetation e.g. grass, but some specialise in climbing trees, living underground, living under snow, or even hunting in water. They have small eyes and generally poor vision, but have excellent senses of hearing and smell.[3] They are very active animals, with voracious appetites. Shrews have unusually high metabolic rates, above that expected in comparable small mammals.[4] For this reason, they need to eat almost constantly like moles. Shrews in captivity can eat 1⁄2 to 2 times their own body weight in food daily.[5]

They do not hibernate, but some species are capable of entering torpor. In winter, many species undergo morphological changes that drastically reduce their body weight. Shrews can lose between 30% and 50% of their body weight, shrinking the size of bones, skull, and internal organs.[6]

Whereas rodents have gnawing incisors that grow throughout life, the teeth of shrews wear down throughout life, a problem made more extreme because they lose their milk teeth before birth, so have only one set of teeth throughout their lifetimes. In some species, exposed areas of the teeth contain iron and are dark red. While this coloration was once thought to be caused by the iron, new research indicates this may not be the case.[7] Regardless, the iron reinforces the surfaces that are exposed to the most stress, which helps prolong the life of the teeth. This adaptation is not found in species with lower metabolism, which do not have to eat as much and therefore do not wear down the enamel to the same degree. The only other mammals' teeth with pigmented enamel are the incisors of rodents.[8] Apart from the first pair of incisors, which are long and sharp, and the chewing molars at the back of the mouth, the teeth of shrews are small and peg-like, and may be reduced in number. The dental formula of shrews is:3.1.1-3.31-2.0-1.1.3

Shrews are fiercely territorial, driving off rivals, and coming together only to mate. Many species dig burrows for catching food and hiding from predators, although this is not universal.[3]

Female shrews can have up to 10 litters a year; in the tropics, they breed all year round; in temperate zones, they cease breeding only in the winter. Shrews have gestation periods of 17–32 days. The female often becomes pregnant within a day or so of giving birth, and lactates during her pregnancy, weaning one litter as the next is born.[3] Shrews live 12 to 30 months.[9]

A characteristic behaviour observed in many species of shrew is known as "caravanning". This is when a litter of young shrews form a line behind the mother, each gripping the shrew in front by the fur at the base of the tail.[10]

Shrews are unusual among mammals in a number of respects. Unlike most mammals, some species of shrews are venomous. Shrew venom is not conducted into the wound by fangs, but by grooves in the teeth. The venom contains various compounds, and the contents of the venom glands of the American short-tailed shrew are sufficient to kill 200 mice by intravenous injection. One chemical extracted from shrew venom may be potentially useful in the treatment of high blood pressure, while another compound may be useful in the treatment of some neuromuscular diseases and migraines.[11][better source needed] The saliva of the northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) contains soricidin, a peptide which has been studied for use in treating ovarian cancer.[12] Also, along with the bats and toothed whales, some species of shrews use echolocation.[13] Unlike most other mammals, shrews lack zygomatic bones (also called the jugals), so have incomplete zygomatic arches.[14]

### Echolocation

[edit]

The northern short-tailed shrew is known to echolocate.

The only terrestrial mammals known to echolocate are two genera (Sorex and Blarina) of shrews, the tenrecs of Madagascar, bats, and the solenodons.[15] These include the Eurasian or common shrew (Sorex araneus) and the American vagrant shrew (Sorex vagrans) and northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda). These shrews emit series of ultrasonic squeaks.[16][17] By nature the shrew sounds, unlike those of bats, are low-amplitude, broadband, multiharmonic, and frequency modulated.[17] They contain no "echolocation clicks" with reverberations and would seem to be used for simple, close-range spatial orientation. In contrast to bats, shrews use echolocation only to investigate their habitats rather than additionally to pinpoint food.[17]

> Except for large and thus strongly reflecting objects, such as a big stone or tree trunk, they probably are not able to disentangle echo scenes, but rather derive information on habitat type from the overall call reverberations. This might be comparable to human hearing whether one calls into a beech forest or into a reverberant wine cellar.[17]

## Classification

[edit]

Further information: List of crocidurines, List of myosoricines, and List of soricines

The 385 shrew species are placed in 26 genera,[18] which are grouped into three living subfamilies: Crocidurinae (white-toothed shrews), Myosoricinae (African shrews), and Soricinae (red-toothed shrews). In addition, the family contains the extinct subfamilies Limnoecinae, Crocidosoricinae, Allosoricinae, and Heterosoricinae (although Heterosoricinae is also commonly considered a separate family). A new genus was tentatively erected, Nagasorex along with the description of a new species,[19] but as of 2025[update] this genus and species status has not been confirmed.

* Family Soricidae
* Subfamily Crocidurinae
* Crocidura
* Diplomesodon
* Feroculus
* Palawanosorex
* Paracrocidura
* Ruwenzorisorex
* Scutisorex
* Solisorex
* Suncus
* Sylvisorex
* Subfamily Myosoricinae
* Congosorex
* Myosorex
* Surdisorex
* Subfamily Soricinae
* Tribe Anourosoricini
* Anourosorex
* Tribe Blarinellini
* Blarinella
* Tribe Blarinini
* Blarina
* Cryptotis
* Tribe Nectogalini
* Chimarrogale
* Chodsigoa
* Episoriculus
* Nectogale
* Neomys
* †Asoriculus
* †Nesiotites
* Soriculus
* Tribe Notiosoricini
* Megasorex
* Notiosorex
* Tribe Soricini
* Sorex

## See also

[edit]

* Shrew rat
* Shrew opossum

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Hutterer R (2005). Wilson D, Reeder D (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 223–300\. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. ^ Louch CD, Ghosh AK, Pal BC (1966). "Seasonal Changes in Weight and Reproductive Activity of Suncus murinus in West Bengal, India". Journal of Mammalogy. 47 (1): 73–78\. doi:10.2307/1378070. JSTOR 1378070. PMID 5905563.
3. ^ a b c Barnard CJ (1984). Macdonald DW (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 758–763. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
4. ^ William J, Platt WJ (1974). "Metabolic Rates of Short-Tailed Shrews". Physiological Zoology. 47 (2): 75–90\. doi:10.1086/physzool.47.2.30155625. JSTOR 30155625. S2CID 87675441.
5. ^ Reid F (2009). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico. pp. 63–64.
6. ^ Churchfield S (January 1990). The natural history of shrews. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-2595-0.
7. ^ Srot, Vesna; Houari, Sophia; Kapun, Gregor; Bussmann, Birgit; Predel, Felicitas; Pokorny, Boštjan; Bužan, Elena; Salzberger, Ute; Fenk, Bernhard; Kelsch, Marion; van Aken, Peter A. (2024-04-30). "Ingenious Architecture and Coloration Generation in Enamel of Rodent Teeth". ACS Nano. 18 (17): 11270–11283\. doi:10.1021/acsnano.4c00578. ISSN 1936-0851. PMC 11064225.
8. ^ Wible J (6 February 2018). "Why Do Some Shrews Have Dark Red Teeth?". Carnegie Museum.
9. ^ Macdonald DW, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-920608-2.
10. ^ D'Agostino, Jennifer (2015-01-01), Miller, R. Eric; Fowler, Murray E. (eds.), "Chapter 34 - Insectivores (Insectivora, Macroscelidea, Scandentia)", Fowler's Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine, Volume 8, St. Louis: W.B. Saunders, pp. 275–281, doi:10.1016/b978-1-4557-7397-8.00034-7, ISBN 978-1-4557-7397-8, retrieved 2024-10-23
11. ^ Piper, Ross (30 August 2007). Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0313339226.
12. ^ "BioProspecting NB, Inc's novel ovarian cancer treatment found effective in animal cancer model". 8 Apr 2009. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
13. ^ Chai, Simin; Tian, Ran; Rong, Xinghua; Li, Guiting; Chen, Bingyao; Ren, Wenhua; Xu, Shixia; Yang, Guang (2020-02-25). "Evidence of Echolocation in the Common Shrew from Molecular Convergence with Other Echolocating Mammals". Zoological Studies. 59 (59): e4. doi:10.6620/ZS.2020.59-04. ISSN 1021-5506. PMC 7262541. PMID 32494297. S2CID 215414310.
14. ^ "About the mammalian skull, and be able to define and/or identify on a specimen all underlined terms" (PDF).
15. ^ "What is echolocation and which animals use it?". Discover Wildlife. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
16. ^ Tomasi TE (1979). "Echolocation by the Short-Tailed Shrew Blarina brevicauda". Journal of Mammalogy. 60 (4): 751–9\. doi:10.2307/1380190. JSTOR 1380190.
17. ^ a b c d Siemers BM, Schauermann G, Turni H, von Merten S (October 2009). "Why do shrews twitter? Communication or simple echo-based orientation". Biology Letters. 5 (5): 593–6\. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0378. PMC 2781971. PMID 19535367.
18. ^ Wilson DE, Reeder DM (2011). "Class Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3148: 56–60\. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3148.1.9.
19. ^ Swanson, Mark; Esselstyn, Jacob; Hutterer, Rainer; Heaney, Lawrence (June 18, 2025). "The Shrew of Nagaland: A Remarkable New Genus and Species from Northeast India, With A Discussion of The Phylogeny and Classification of The Soricidae (Mammalia)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 2025 (474): 1–72\. doi:10.1206/0003-0090.474.1.1.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Buchler ER (November 1976). "The use of echolocation by the wandering shrew (Sorex vagrans)". Animal Behaviour. 24 (4): 858–73\. doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(76)80016-4. S2CID 53160608.
* Busnel RG, ed. (1963). Acoustic Behaviour of Animals. Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company.
* Forsman KA, Malmquist MG (1988). "Evidence for echolocation in the common shrew, Sorex araneus". Journal of Zoology. 216 (4): 655–662\. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1988.tb02463.x.
* Gould E, Negus NC, Novick A (June 1964). "Evidence for echolocation in shrews". The Journal of Experimental Zoology. 156 (1): 19–37\. Bibcode:1964JEZ...156...19G. doi:10.1002/jez.1401560103. PMID 14189919.
* Hutterer R (1976). Deskriptive und vergleichende Verhaltensstudien an der Zwergspitzmaus, Sorex minutus L., und der Waldspitzmaus, Sorex araneus L. (Soricidae - Insectivora - Mammalia) (Ph.D. Thesis) (in German). Univ. Wien. OCLC 716064334.
* Hutterer R, Vogel P (1977). "Abwehrlaute afrikanischer Spitzmäuse der Gattung Crocidura Wagler, 1832 und ihre systematische Bedeutung" (PDF). Bonner zoologische Beiträge (in German). 28 (3/4): 218–27.
* Hutterer R, Vogel P, Frey H, Genoud M (1979). "Vocalization of the shrews Suncus etruscus and Crocidura russula during normothermia and torpor". Acta Theriologica. 24 (21): 267–71\. doi:10.4098/AT.arch.79-28.
* Irwin DV, Baxter RM (1980). "Evidence against the use of echolocation by Crocidura f. flavescens (Soricidae)". Säugetierkundliche Mitteilungen. 28 (4): 323.
* Kahmann H, Ostermann K (July 1951). "[Perception of production of high tones by small mammals]" [Perception of production of high tones by small mammals]. Experientia (in German). 7 (7): 268–9\. doi:10.1007/BF02154548. PMID 14860152. S2CID 26738585.
* Köhler D, Wallschläger D (1987). "Über die Lautäußerungen der Wasserspitzmaus, Neomys fodiens (Insectivora: Soricidae)" [On vocalization of the european water shrew Neomys fodiens (Insectivora: Soricidae)]. Zoologische Jahrbücher (in German). 91 (1): 89–99.
* Sales G, Pye D (1974). Ultrasonic communication by animals. London.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

## External links

[edit]

* "Shrew" . The New Student's Reference Work . 1914.
* The common shrew Sorex araneus shrinks its skull to survive winter (disc. 1949, August Dehnel)

* v
* t
* e

Extant species of Eulipotyphla

* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Chordata
* Class: Mammalia
* Infraclass: Eutheria
* Superorder: Laurasiatheria

* Family: Erinaceidae
* subfamily: Erinaceinae

| Atelerix|

* Four-toed hedgehog (A. albiventris)
* North African hedgehog (A. algirus)
* Southern African hedgehog (A. frontalis)
* Somali hedgehog (A. sclateri)

|

Erinaceus|

* Amur hedgehog (E. amurensis)
* Southern white-breasted hedgehog (E. concolor)
* West European hedgehog (E. europaeus)
* Northern white-breasted hedgehog (E. roumanicus)

Hemiechinus|

* Long-eared hedgehog (H. auritus)
* Indian long-eared hedgehog (H. collaris)

Mesechinus|

* Daurian hedgehog (M. dauuricus)
* Hugh's hedgehog (M. hughi)
* Gaoligong forest hedgehog (M. wangi)
* Small-toothed forest hedgehog (M. miodon)
* Eastern forest hedgehog (M. orientalis)

Paraechinus|

* Desert hedgehog (P. aethiopicus)
* Brandt's hedgehog (P. hypomelas)
* Indian hedgehog (P. micropus)
* Bare-bellied hedgehog (P. nudiventris)

* Family: Erinaceidae
* subfamily: Galericinae

| Echinosorex|

* Moonrat (E. gymnura)

|

Hylomys|

* Dwarf gymnure (H. parvus)
* Javan short-tailed gymnure (H. suillus)
* Bornean short-tailed gymnure (H. dorsalis)
* Max's short-tailed gymnure (H. maxi)
* Dalat gymnure (H. macarong)
* Northern short-tailed gymnure (H. peguensis)
* Leuser gymnure (H. vorax)

Neohylomys|

* Hainan gymnure (N. hainanensis)

Neotetracus|

* Shrew gymnure (N. sinensis)

Otohylomys|

* Long-eared gymnure (O. megalotis)

Podogymnura|

* Dinagat gymnure (P. aureospinula)
* Mindanao gymnure (P. truei)

* Family: Soricidae
* subfamily: Crocidurinae

| Crocidura
(White-toothed
shrews)|

* Cyrenaica shrew (C. aleksandrisi)
* East African highland shrew (C. allex)
* Andaman shrew (C. andamanensis)
* C. annamitensis
* Ansell's shrew (C. ansellorum)
* Arabian shrew (C. arabica)
* Jackass shrew (C. arispa)
* Armenian shrew (C. armenica)
* Asian gray shrew (C. attenuata)
* Hun shrew (C. attila)
* Bailey's shrew (C. baileyi)
* Kinabalu shrew (C. baluensis)
* Batak shrew (C. batakorum)
* Mindanao shrew (C. beatus)
* Beccari's shrew (C. beccarii)
* Bottego's shrew (C. bottegi)
* Bale shrew (C. bottegoides)
* Thick-tailed shrew (C. brunnea)
* Buettikofer's shrew (C. buettikoferi)
* African dusky shrew (C. caliginea)
* Canarian shrew (C. canariensis)
* Caspian shrew (C. caspica)
* Cinderella shrew (C. cinderella)
* Congo white-toothed shrew (C. congobelgica)
* C. cranbrooki
* Long-footed shrew (C. crenata)
* Crosse's shrew (C. crossei)
* Reddish-gray musk shrew (C. cyanea)
* Dent's shrew (C. denti)
* Desperate shrew (C. desperata)
* Dhofar shrew (C. dhofarensis)
* Long-tailed musk shrew (C. dolichura)
* Doucet's musk shrew (C. douceti)
* Dsinezumi shrew (C. dsinezumi)
* Eisentraut's shrew (C. eisentrauti)
* Elgon shrew (C. elgonius)
* Elongated shrew (C. elongata)
* Heather shrew (C. erica)
* Fischer's shrew (C. fischeri)
* Greater red musk shrew (C. flavescens)
* Flower's shrew (C. floweri)
* Bornean shrew (C. foetida)
* Fox's shrew (C. foxi)
* Southeast Asian shrew (C. fuliginosa)
* Savanna shrew (C. fulvastra)
* Smoky white-toothed shrew (C. fumosa)
* Bicolored musk shrew (C. fuscomurina)
* Glass's shrew (C. glassi)
* Gmelin's white-toothed shrew (C. gmelini)
* Goliath shrew (C. goliath)
* Peters's musk shrew (C. gracilipes)
* Large-headed shrew (C. grandiceps)
* Greater Mindanao shrew (C. grandis)
* Grasse's shrew (C. grassei)
* Luzon shrew (C. grayi)
* Greenwood's shrew (C. greenwoodi)
* C. guy
* Harenna shrew (C. harenna)
* C. hikmiya
* Hildegarde's shrew (C. hildegardeae)
* Hill's shrew (C. hilliana)
* Lesser red musk shrew (C. hirta)
* Andaman spiny shrew (C. hispida)
* Horsfield's shrew (C. horsfieldii)
* Hutan shrew (C. hutanis)
* North African white-toothed shrew (C. ichnusae)
* Indochinese shrew (C. indochinensis)
* Jackson's shrew (C. jacksoni)
* Jenkins's shrew (C. jenkinsi)
* Jouvenet's shrew (C. jouvenetae)
* Katinka's shrew (C. katinka)
* Ke Go shrew (C. kegoensis)
* Kivu shrew (C. kivuana)
* Lamotte's shrew (C. lamottei)
* Kivu long-haired shrew (C. lanosa)
* Ussuri white-toothed shrew (C. lasiura)
* Latona's shrew (C. latona)
* Sulawesi shrew (C. lea)
* Sumatran giant shrew (C. lepidura)
* Bicolored shrew (C. leucodon)
* Sulawesi tiny shrew (C. levicula)
* Butiaba naked-tailed shrew (C. littoralis)
* Savanna swamp shrew (C. longipes)
* Lucina's shrew (C. lucina)
* Ludia's shrew (C. ludia)
* Moonshine shrew (C. luna)
* Mauritanian shrew (C. lusitania)
* MacArthur's shrew (C. macarthuri)
* MacMillan's shrew (C. macmillani)
* Nyiro shrew (C. macowi)
* Malayan shrew (C. malayana)
* Manenguba shrew (C. manengubae)
* Makwassie musk shrew (C. maquassiensis)
* Swamp musk shrew (C. mariquensis)
* Gracile naked-tailed shrew (C. maurisca)
* Javanese shrew (C. maxi)
* Mindoro shrew (C. mindorus)
* Sri Lankan long-tailed shrew (C. miya)
* Kilimanjaro shrew (C. monax)
* Sunda shrew (C. monticola)
* Montane white-toothed shrew (C. montis)
* West African long-tailed shrew (C. muricauda)
* Mossy forest shrew (C. musseri)
* Ugandan musk shrew (C. mutesae)
* Somali dwarf shrew (C. nana)
* Savanna dwarf shrew (C. nanilla)
* Peninsular shrew (C. negligens)
* Negros shrew (C. negrina)
* Nicobar shrew (C. nicobarica)
* Nigerian shrew (C. nigeriae)
* Blackish white-toothed shrew (C. nigricans)
* Black-footed shrew (C. nigripes)
* African black shrew (C. nigrofusca)
* Nimba shrew (C. nimbae)
* Niobe's shrew (C. niobe)
* West African pygmy shrew (C. obscurior)
* African giant shrew (C. olivieri)
* Oriental shrew (C. orientalis)
* Ryukyu shrew (C. orii)
* Palawan shrew (C. palawanensis)
* Panay shrew (C. panayensis)
* Sumatran long-tailed shrew (C. paradoxura)
* Small-footed shrew (C. parvipes)
* Sahelian tiny shrew (C. pasha)
* Pale gray shrew (C. pergrisea)
* Guramba shrew (C. phaeura)
* C. phanluongi
* Phu Hoc shrew (C. phuquocensis)
* Cameroonian shrew (C. picea)
* Pitman's shrew (C. pitmani)
* Flat-headed shrew (C. planiceps)
* Fraser's musk shrew (C. poensis)
* Polia's shrew (C. polia)
* Kashmir white-toothed shrew (C. pullata)
* Rainey's shrew (C. raineyi)
* Negev shrew (C. ramona)
* Chinese white-toothed shrew (C. rapax)
* Egyptian pygmy shrew (C. religiosa)
* Sulawesi white-handed shrew (C. rhoditis)
* Roosevelt's shrew (C. roosevelti)
* Greater white-toothed shrew (C. russula)
* Ugandan lowland shrew (C. selina)
* Lesser rock shrew (C. serezkyensis)
* Asian lesser white-toothed shrew (C. shantungensis)
* Siberian shrew (C. sibirica)
* Sicilian shrew (C. sicula)
* Lesser gray-brown musk shrew (C. silacea)
* Desert musk shrew (C. smithii)
* Sokolov's shrew (C. sokolovi)
* Somali shrew (C. somalica)
* Kahuzi swamp shrew (C. stenocephala)
* Lesser white-toothed shrew (C. suaveolens)
* Iranian shrew (C. susiana)
* Tanzanian shrew (C. tansaniana)
* Tarella shrew (C. tarella)
* Saharan shrew (C. tarfayensis)
* Telford's shrew (C. telfordi)
* Timor shrew (C. tenuis)
* Thalia's shrew (C. thalia)
* Therese's shrew (C. theresae)
* São Tomé shrew (C. thomensis)
* Christmas Island shrew (C. trichura)
* Turbo shrew (C. turba)
* Ultimate shrew (C. ultima)
* Usambara shrew (C. usambarae)
* Savanna path shrew (C. viaria)
* Mamfe shrew (C. virgata)
* Voi shrew (C. voi)
* Voracious shrew (C. vorax)
* Banka shrew (C. vosmaeri)
* Lesser Ryukyu shrew (C. watasei)
* Whitaker's shrew (C. whitakeri)
* Wimmer's shrew (C. wimmeri)
* Hainan Island shrew (C. wuchihensis)
* Xanthippe's shrew (C. xantippe)
* Yankari shrew (C. yankariensis)
* Mikhail Zaitsev's shrew (C. zaitsevi )
* Zaphir's shrew (C. zaphiri)
* Zarudny's rock shrew (C. zarudnyi)
* Upemba shrew (C. zimmeri)
* Cretan shrew (C. zimmermanni)

|

* Family: Soricidae
* subfamily: Crocidurinae (continued)

| Diplomesodon|

* Piebald shrew (D. pulchellus)

|

Feroculus|

* Kelaart's long-clawed shrew (F. feroculus)

Palawanosorex|

* Palawan moss shrew (P. muscorum)

Paracrocidura
(Large-headed
shrews)|

* Grauer's large-headed shrew (P. graueri)
* Greater large-headed shrew (P. maxima)
* Lesser large-headed shrew (P. schoutedeni)

Ruwenzorisorex|

* Ruwenzori shrew (R. suncoides)

Scutisorex|

* Hero shrew (S. somereni)
* Thor's hero shrew (S. thori)

Solisorex|

* Pearson's long-clawed shrew (S. pearsoni)

Suncus|

* Taita shrew (S. aequatorius)
* Black shrew (S. ater)
* Day's shrew (S. dayi)
* Etruscan shrew (S. etruscus)
* Sri Lankan shrew (S. fellowesgordoni)
* Bornean pygmy shrew (S. hosei)
* Least dwarf shrew (S. infinitesimus)
* Greater dwarf shrew (S. lixus)
* Madagascan pygmy shrew (S. madagascariensis)
* Malayan pygmy shrew (S. malayanus)
* Climbing shrew (S. megalura)
* Flores shrew (S. mertensi)
* Asian highland shrew (S. montanus)
* Asian house shrew (S. murinus)
* Remy's pygmy shrew (S. remyi)
* Anderson's shrew (S. stoliczkanus)
* Lesser dwarf shrew (S. varilla)
* Jungle shrew (S. zeylanicus)

Sylvisorex
(Forest shrews)|

* Dudu Akaibe's pygmy shrew (S. akaibei)
* Cameroonian forest shrew (S. cameruniensis)
* Corbet's forest shrew (S. corbeti)
* Grant's forest shrew (S. granti)
* Howell's forest shrew (S. howelli)
* Bioko forest shrew (S. isabellae)
* Johnston's forest shrew (S. johnstoni)
* Kongana shrew (S. konganensis)
* Moon forest shrew (S. lunaris)
* Mount Cameroon forest shrew (S. morio)
* Greater forest shrew (S. ollula)
* Lesser forest shrew (S. oriundus)
* Rain forest shrew (S. pluvialis)
* Volcano shrew (S. vulcanorum)

* Family: Soricidae
* subfamily: Soricinae

| Anourosoricini|

| Anourosorex
(Asian mole shrews)|

* Assam mole shrew (A. assamensis)
* Giant mole shrew (A. schmidi)
* Chinese mole shrew (A. squamipes)
* Taiwanese mole shrew (A. yamashinai)

|

Blarinellini|

| Blarinella
(some Asiatic short-tailed
shrews)|

* Asiatic short-tailed shrew (B. quadraticauda)
* Burmese short-tailed shrew (B. wardi)

|

Parablarinella
(some Asiatic short-tailed
shrews)|

* Indochinese short-tailed shrew (P. griselda)
* Anhui short-tailed shrew (P. latimaxillata)

Blarinini|

| Blarina
(American short-tailed
shrews)|

* Northern short-tailed shrew (B. brevicauda)
* Southern short-tailed shrew (B. carolinensis)
* Elliot's short-tailed shrew (B. hylophaga)
* Everglades short-tailed shrew (B. peninsulae)
* Sherman's short-tailed shrew (B. shermani)

|

Cryptotis
(Small-eared
shrews)|

C. mexicana group
Mexican small-eared shrew (C. mexicana)
Nelson's small-eared shrew (C. nelsoni)
Grizzled Mexican small-eared shrew (C. obscura)
Phillips' small-eared shrew (C. phillipsii)

C. goldmani set
Central Mexican broad-clawed shrew (C. alticola)
Goldman's broad-clawed shrew (C. goldmani)
Goodwin's broad-clawed shrew (C. goodwini)
Guatemalan broad-clawed shrew (C. griseoventris)
C. lacertosus
C. mam
Oaxacan broad-clawed shrew (C. peregrina)

C. nigrescens group
Eastern Cordillera small-footed shrew (C. brachyonyx)
Colombian small-eared shrew (C. colombiana)
Honduran small-eared shrew (C. hondurensis)
Yucatan small-eared shrew (C. mayensis)
Darién small-eared shrew (C. mera)
Merriam's small-eared shrew (C. merriami)
Blackish small-eared shrew (C. nigrescens)

C. thomasi group
Southern Colombian small-eared shrew (C. andinus)
Ecuadorian small-eared shrew (C. equatoris)
Rainer's small-eared shrew (C. huttereri)
Medellín small-eared shrew (C. medellinia)
Merida small-eared shrew (C. meridensis)
Wandering small-eared shrew (C. montivaga)
Peruvian small-eared shrew (C. peruviensis)
Scaly-footed small-eared shrew (C. squaipes)
Tamá small-eared shrew (C. tamensis)
Thomas's small-eared shrew (C. thomasi)

C. parva group
Central American least shrew (C. orophila)
North American least shrew (C. parva)
Tropical small-eared shrew (C. tropicalis)

Ungrouped / relict
Enders's small-eared shrew (C. endersi)
Talamancan small-eared shrew (C. gracilis)
Big Mexican small-eared shrew (C. magna)

Nectogalini|

| Chimarrogale
(Asiatic water
shrews)|

* Malayan water shrew (C. hantu)
* Himalayan water shrew (C. himalayica)
* Bornean water shrew (C. phaeura)
* Japanese water shrew (C. platycephalus)
* Chinese water shrew (C. styani)
* Sumatran water shrew (C. sumatrana)

|

Chodsigoa|

* Van Sung's shrew (C. caovansunga)
* De Winton's shrew (C. hypsibia)
* Lamulate shrew (C. lamula)
* Lowe's shrew (C. parca)
* Pygmy brown-toothed shrew (C. parva)
* Salenski's shrew (C. salenskii)
* Smith's shrew (C. smithii)
* Lesser Taiwanese shrew (C. sodalis)

Episoriculus|

* Hodgsons's brown-toothed shrew (E. caudatus)
* Taiwanese brown-toothed shrew (E. fumidus)
* Long-tailed brown-toothed shrew (E. leucops)
* Long-tailed mountain shrew (E. macrurus)

Nectogale|

* Elegant water shrew (N. elegans)

Neomys|

* Mediterranean water shrew (N. anomalus)
* Eurasian water shrew (N. fodiens)
* Transcaucasian water shrew (N. teres)

Soriculus|

* Himalayan shrew (S. nigrescens)

Notiosoricini|

| Megasorex|

* Mexican shrew (M. gigas)

|

Notiosorex|

* Cockrum's gray shrew (N. cockrumi)
* Crawford's gray shrew (N. crawfordi)
* Large-eared gray shrew (N. evotis)
* Villa's gray shrew (N. villai)

* Family: Soricidae
* subfamily: Soricinae (tribe: Soricini)

| Sorex
(Long-tailed
shrews)|

| Subgenus
Otisorex|

* Long-tailed shrew (S. dispar)
* Smoky shrew (S. fumeus)
* American pygmy shrew (S. hoyi)
* Large-toothed shrew (S. macrodon)
* Carmen mountain shrew (S. milleri)
* Dwarf shrew (S. nanus)
* Mexican long-tailed shrew (S. oreopolus)
* Orizaba long-tailed shrew (S. orizabae)
* Ornate shrew (S. ornatus)
* Inyo shrew (S. tenellus)
* Verapaz shrew (S. veraepacis)

S. vagrans complex
Glacier Bay water shrew (S. alaskanus)
Baird's shrew (S. bairdii)
Marsh shrew (S. bendirii)
Montane shrew (S. monticolus)
New Mexico shrew (S. neomexicanus)
Pacific shrew (S. pacificus)
American water shrew (S. palustris)
Fog shrew (S. sonomae)
Vagrant shrew (S. vagrans)

S. cinereus group
Kamchatka shrew (S. camtschatica)
Cinereus shrew (S. cinereus)
Prairie shrew (S. haydeni)
Saint Lawrence Island shrew (S. jacksoni)
Paramushir shrew (S. leucogaster)
Southeastern shrew (S. longirostris)
Mount Lyell shrew (S. lyelli)
Portenko's shrew (S. portenkoi)
Preble's shrew (S. preblei)
Pribilof Island shrew (S. pribilofensis)
Olympic shrew (S. rohweri)
Barren ground shrew (S. ugyunak)

|

Subgenus
Sorex|

* Dneper common shrew (S. averini)
* Lesser striped shrew (S. bedfordiae)
* Greater stripe-backed shrew (S. cylindricauda)
* Chinese highland shrew (S. excelsus)
* Azumi shrew (S. hosonoi)
* Chinese shrew (S. sinalis)
* Alaska tiny shrew (S. yukonicus)

S. alpinus group
Alpine shrew (S. alpinus)
Ussuri shrew (S. mirabilis)

S. araneus group
Valais shrew (S. antinorii)
Common shrew (S. araneus)
Udine shrew (S. arunchi)
Crowned shrew (S. coronatus)
Siberian large-toothed shrew (S. daphaenodon)
Iberian shrew (S. granarius)
Caucasian shrew (S. satunini)

S. arcticus group
Arctic shrew (S. arcticus)
Maritime shrew (S. maritimensis)

S. tundrensis group
Tien Shan shrew (S. asper)
Gansu shrew (S. cansulus)
Tundra shrew (S. tundrensis)

S. minutus group
Buchara shrew (S. buchariensis)
Kozlov's shrew (S. kozlovi)
Caucasian pygmy shrew (S. volnuchini)

S. caecutiens group
Laxmann's shrew (S. caecutiens)
Taiga shrew (S. isodon)
Eurasian least shrew (S. minutissimus)
Eurasian pygmy shrew (S. minutus)
Flat-skulled shrew (S. roboratus)
Shinto shrew (S. shinto)
Long-clawed shrew (S. unguiculatus)

S. gracillimus group
Slender shrew (S. gracillimus)

S. raddei group
Radde's shrew (S. raddei)

S. samniticus group
Apennine shrew (S. samniticus)

incertae sedis|

* Arizona shrew (S. arizonae)
* Zacatecas shrew (S. emarginatus)
* Merriam's shrew (S. merriami)
* Kashmir pygmy shrew (S. planiceps)
* Saussure's shrew (S. saussurei)
* Sclater's shrew (S. sclateri)
* San Cristobal shrew (S. stizodon)
* Tibetan shrew (S. thibetanus)
* Trowbridge's shrew (S. trowbridgii)
* Chestnut-bellied shrew (S. ventralis)
* Veracruz shrew (S. veraecrucis)

* Family: Soricidae
* subfamily: Myosoricinae

| Congosorex
(Congo shrews)|

* Phillips's shrew (C. phillipsorum)
* Greater Congo shrew (C. polli)
* Lesser Congo shrew (C. verheyeni)

|

Myosorex
(Mouse shrews)|

* Babault's mouse shrew (M. babaulti)
* Montane mouse shrew (M. blarina)
* Bururi forest shrew (M. bururiensis)
* Dark-footed mouse shrew (M. cafer)
* Eisentraut's mouse shrew (M. eisentrauti)
* Geata mouse shrew (M. geata)
* Nyika mouse shrew (M. gnoskei)
* Kihaule's mouse shrew (M. kihaulei)
* Long-tailed forest shrew (M. longicaudatus)
* Oku mouse shrew (M. okuensis)
* Rumpi mouse shrew (M. rumpii)
* Schaller's mouse shrew (M. schalleri)
* Sclater's mouse shrew (M. sclateri)
* Thin mouse shrew (M. tenuis)
* Forest shrew (M. varius)
* Kilimanjaro mouse shrew (M. zinki)

Surdisorex
(African mole
shrews)|

* Aberdare mole shrew (S. norae)
* Mount Kenya mole shrew (S. polulus)

* Family: Talpidae

| Scalopinae
(New World moles
and relatives)|

| Condylura|

* Star-nosed mole (C. cristata)

|

Parascalops|

* Hairy-tailed mole (P. breweri)

Scalopus|

* Eastern mole (S. aquaticus)

Scapanulus|

* Gansu mole (S. oweni)

Scapanus
(Western North
American moles)|

* Broad-footed mole (S. latimanus)
* Coast mole (S. orarius)
* Townsend's mole (S. townsendii)

Talpinae
(Old World moles
and relatives)|

| Desmana|

* Russian desman (D. moschata)

|

Dymecodon|

* True's shrew mole (D. pilirostris)

Euroscaptor|

* Greater Chinese mole (E. grandis)
* Kloss's mole (E. klossi)
* Long-nosed mole (E. longirostris)
* Himalayan mole (E. micrura)
* Small-toothed mole (E. parvidens)
* Vietnamese mole (E. subanura)

Galemys|

* Pyrenean desman (G. pyrenaicus)

Mogera|

* Echigo mole (M. etigo)
* Insular mole (M. insularis)
* Kano mole (M. kanoana)
* Kobe mole (M. kobeae)
* Small Japanese mole (M. imaizumii)
* Large mole (M. robusta)
* Sado mole (M. tokudae)
* Japanese mole (M. wogura)
* Senkaku mole (M. uchidai)

Neurotrichus|

* American shrew mole (N. gibbsii)

Oreoscaptor|

* Japanese mountain mole (O. mizura)

Parascaptor|

* White-tailed mole (P. leucura)

Scaptochirus|

* Short-faced mole (S. moschatus)

Scaptonyx|

* Long-tailed mole (S. fusicaudus)

Talpa|

* Altai mole (T. altaica)
* Aquitanian mole (T. aquitania)
* Blind mole (T. caeca)
* Caucasian mole (T. caucasica)
* European mole (T. europaea)
* Père David's mole (T. davidiana)
* Levant mole (T. levantis)
* Martino's mole (T. martinorum)
* Iberian mole (T. occidentalis)
* Ognev's mole (T. ognevi)
* Roman mole (T. romana)
* Balkan mole (T. stankovici)
* Talysch mole (T. talyschensis)

Urotrichus|

* Japanese shrew mole (U. talpoides)

Uropsilinae
(Chinese shrew-like
moles)|

Uropsilus

* Equivalent-teeth shrew mole (U. aequodonenia)
* Anderson's shrew mole (U. andersoni)
* Black-backed shrew mole (U. atronates)
* Dabie Mountains shrew mole (U. dabieshanensis)
* Gracile shrew mole (U. gracilis)
* Inquisitive shrew mole (U. investigator)
* Snow Mountain shrew mole (U. nivatus)
* Chinese shrew mole (U. soricipes)

|

* Family: Solenodontidae

| Atopogale|

* Cuban solenodon (A. cubana)

|

Solenodon|

* Hispaniolan solenodon (S. paradoxus)

Taxon identifiers

Soricidae|

* Wikidata: Q41631
* Wikispecies: Soricidae
* ADW: Soricidae
* AFD: Soricidae
* BioLib: 20501
* BOLD: 970
* CoL: 626YH
* EoL: 8714
* EPPO: 1SORXF
* Fauna Europaea: 12620
* Fauna Europaea (new): cab2813b-4a00-4aa1-964c-a32999d08568
* GBIF: 5534
* iNaturalist: 46341
* IRMNG: 104841
* ITIS: 179927
* MSW: 13700021
* NBN: NHMSYS0000376157
* NCBI: 9376
* Open Tree of Life: 226446
* Paleobiology Database: 40443
* Plazi: 475DBC14-FF8C-661C-FF06-09E6ED32FA74
* WoRMS: 1349987

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