A family of 385 species of tiny, mouse-like mammals that are not rodents at all; their closest relatives are hedgehogs and moles. Shrews have a very high metabolism and must eat almost constantly, and some species are venomous or use echolocation.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inEurope, Asia, Africa, North America, South America
ColoursBrown, Grey
SizeTiny
Length3.5 cm (Etruscan shrew) to about 15 cm (Asian house shrew)
Weight1.8 g (Etruscan shrew) to about 100 g
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for1–2 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Almost worldwide, except New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and most of South America (a few now live in the northern Andes).
- What it eats
- Insects, worms, seeds and nuts from leaf litter; captives eat half to twice their body weight a day.
Did you know
Needs to eat almost constantly, and some species are venomous.
The Etruscan shrew, at about 1.8 g, is the smallest known land mammal.
Young shrews "caravan" behind their mother, each gripping the fur of the one in front.
Often confused with
- Mouse
A shrew has sharp, spiky teeth and a longer nose; a mouse is a rodent with gnawing front teeth.
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