Etruscan shrew

plural Etruscan shrews

1. Suncus etruscus, a species of shrew native to Eurasia.

   Not much is known about the habits of the Etruscan shrew, but it swims well - most shrews do - and climbs well, but only if it has to.

   1983, David Black, Animal wonders of the world, Exeter Books, page 15

   2 more examples

   Of particular interest is the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), the smallest living mammal, whose adult body mass averages no more than 2 g.

   a. 1980, Ewald R. Weibel et al., "The respiratory system of the smallest mammal". Published in: 1980, Knut Schmidt-Nielsen, Liana Bolis, Charles Richard Taylor, Comparative Physiology: Primitive Mammals, Cambridge University Press, page 181

   In spite of its small size, the Etruscan shrew is a fearsome predator for any living prey, provided it is small enough to be tackled: insects, worms, myriapods, and snails are all eaten voraciously because its survival requires incessant feeding.

   1999, Jacques Blondel, James Aronson, Biology and Wildlife of the Mediterranean Region, Oxford University Press, page 82

   Synonyms: Etruscan pygmy shrew, white-toothed pygmy shrew