Shrew

Article By:

Whitaker, John O., Jr. Department of Biology, Center for North American Bat Research and Conservation, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana.

Last reviewed:June 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.621200

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• Shrew, published June 2014:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

An insectivorous mammal of the family Soricidae (order Eulipotyphla). Shrews, which are sometimes referred to as the true shrews, are members of the insectivorous mammalian family Soricidae in the order Eulipotyphla. Formerly, the shrews were assigned to the now-abandoned order Insectivora (also Soricomorpha). The true shrews are found in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and northern South America. The shrew family includes more than 380 species in 26 genera, which are grouped into three subfamilies: the red-toothed shrews (Soricinae), the white-toothed shrews (Crocidurinae), and the African white-toothed shrews (Myosoricinae). Taxonomically, the tree shrews (families Tupaiidae and Ptilocercidae) and elephant shrews (family Macroscelididae) are now recognized as unrelated to the true shrews and have been placed in separate orders (Scandentia and Macroscelidea, respectively). See also: Insectivora; Macroscelidea; Mammalia

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