Wildlifeof Nepal
Pygmy White-toothed Shrew
Pangolins, Treeshrews, Shrews & Gymnures
Photo: (c) Ansil B.R., some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Suncus etruscus
Basic stats
Diet
Invertebrates including insects, larvae and earthworms; also young amphibians, lizards and rodents
Habitat
Warm, damp, shrubby ground, often where open terrain meets deciduous forest
Litter size
2–6
Gestation period
27–28 days
Size
Body 3–5.2cm; tail 2.4–3.2cm
Weight
1.3–2.5g, usually about 1.8g
The Etruscan shrew, as this species is known elsewhere, is the smallest living mammal by mass, weighing about 1.8g, with a body of 3 to 5.2cm and a tail of 2.4 to 3.2cm. It has a long mobile snout, protruding ears and pale brown fur. Its metabolism is so fast that it eats one and a half to two times its body weight daily (Wikipedia, general species account).
It eats mostly invertebrates such as insects, larvae and earthworms and sometimes the young of amphibians, lizards and rodents. Across its wide range it favours warm, damp, shrubby ground, often where open terrain meets deciduous forest. Gestation is 27 to 28 days, with two to six young a litter. The account opened lists Nepal among Asian countries where it has been observed. Nationally Data Deficient (Nepal National Red List 2011).
Quick answers
- What does the Pygmy White-toothed Shrew eat?
- Invertebrates including insects, larvae and earthworms; also young amphibians, lizards and rodents
- What habitat does the Pygmy White-toothed Shrew live in?
- Warm, damp, shrubby ground, often where open terrain meets deciduous forest
- What is the litter size of the Pygmy White-toothed Shrew?
- 2–6
- How long is the gestation period of the Pygmy White-toothed Shrew?
- 27–28 days
- How big is the Pygmy White-toothed Shrew?
- Body 3–5.2cm; tail 2.4–3.2cm
- How much does the Pygmy White-toothed Shrew weigh?
- 1.3–2.5g, usually about 1.8g