Etruscan shrew

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Etruscan shrew[1]
Scientific classification
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S. etruscus
Binomial name
Suncus etruscus
(Savi, 1822)

The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) is also known as the Etruscan pygmy shrew or the white-toothed pygmy shrew. It is the smallest known mammal by mass. The Bumblebee bat has a smaller skull.

The smallest adults of this shrew weigh about 1.3 grams and are 36 mm (1.42 inches) long. This small mammal is 60 mm from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail; the tail is about 40 mm long.

The shrew has a lifespan of 15 months. The Etruscan shrew lives in forests and brush areas between southern Asia and southern Europe. The shrew mostly eats insects.

References[change | change source]

  1. Hutterer, Rainer (2005). Don E. Wilson; DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 258. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.
  2. Aulagnier et al. (2004). Suncus etruscus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 9 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern

Other websites[change | change source]