Shrew

shrew, (family Soricidae), any of more than 350 species of insectivores having a mobile snout that is covered with long sensitive whiskers and overhangs the lower lip. Their large incisor teeth are used like forceps to grab prey; the upper pair is hooked, and the lower pair extends forward. Shrews have a foul odour caused by scent glands on the flanks as well as other parts of the body.

Shrews are small mammals with cylindrical bodies, short and slender limbs, and clawed digits. Their eyes are small but are usually visible in the fur, and the ears are rounded and moderately large, except in short-tailed shrews and water shrews. Tail length varies among species, some being much shorter than the body and others appreciably longer. The sexes are not immediately distinguishable, as the testes are retained in the male’s abdominal cavity and do not descend. The brain’s cerebral hemispheres are small, but the olfactory lobes are prominent, which reflects less intelligence and manipulative ability but an enhanced sense of smell. The 26 to 32 white or red-tipped teeth are not replaced during the animal’s life (milk teeth are shed before birth).