Etruscan Shrew

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Etruscan Shrew[1]

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Soricomorpha
Family: Soricidae
Genus: Suncus
Species: S. etruscus
Binomial name
Suncus etruscus
(Savi, 1822)

The Etruscan Shrew (Suncus etruscus) , also known as the Etruscan Pygmy Shrew or the White-toothed Pygmy Shrew is the smallest known mammal by mass, weighing only about 2 grams, although the smallest known mammal by skull size is the Bumblebee Bat. The smallest mature specimens of this shrew are thought to weigh about 1.3 grams and measure 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. This shrew has a lifespan of 15 months. The Etruscan Shrew inhabits forests and brush areas between Southern Asia and Southern Europe. A forager, the Etruscan Shrew subsists largely upon insects.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hutterer, Rainer (2005-11-16). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 258. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
  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

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