The

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Sorex'' includes many of the common

shrews Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to diffe ...

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, and contains at least 142 known species and subspecies. Members of this genus, known as long-tailed shrews, are the only members of the tribe Soricini of the subfamily Soricinae (

red-toothed shrews The red-toothed shrews of the subfamily Soricinae are one of three living subfamilies of shrews, along with Crocidurinae (white-toothed shrews) and Myosoricinae (African white-toothed shrews). In addition, the family contains the extinct subfam ...

). They have 32 teeth. These animals have long, pointed snouts, small ears, which are often not visible, and scent glands located on the sides of their bodies. As their eyesight is generally poor, they rely on hearing and smell to locate their prey, mainly insects. Some species also use echolocation. Distinguishing between species without examining the dental pattern is often difficult. In some species, a female shrew and her dependent young form "caravans", in which each shrew grasps the rear of the shrew in front, when changing location.

Species

* Genus ''Sorex'' – most basal of the genera **

Kashmir pygmy shrew The Kashmir pygmy shrew (''Sorex planiceps'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in India and Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countri ...

(''S. planiceps'') –

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Tibetan shrew The Tibetan shrew (''Sorex thibetanus'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in western China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a popula ...

(''S. thibetanus'') – endemic to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

* Subgenus ''Otisorex'' – mostly

n shrews with a few species found on the

Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...

and islands in the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...

. ** Chiapan shrew (''S. chiapensis'') ** Cruz's long-tailed shrew (''S. cruzi'') **

Long-tailed shrew The long-tailed shrew or rock shrew (''Sorex dispar'') is a small shrew found in Atlantic Canada and the Northeastern United States. This shrew is slate grey in color with a pointed snout, a long tail, and lighter underparts. It is found on rock ...

(''S. dispar'') ***''Sorex dispar blitchi'' ***''Sorex dispar dispar'' ** Western pygmy shrew (''S. eximius'') ***''Sorex eximius eximius'' ***''Sorex eximius montanus'' **

Smoky shrew The smoky shrew (''Sorex fumeus'') is a medium-sized North American shrew found in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States and extends further south along the Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appal ...

(''S. fumeus'') ***''Sorex fumeus fumeus'' ***''Sorex fumeus umbrosus'' ** Eastern pygmy shrew (''S. hoyi'') ***''Sorex hoyi alnorum'' ***''Sorex hoyi hoyi'' ***''Sorex hoyi thompsoni'' ***''Sorex hoyi winnemana'' ** Ibarra shrew (''S. ibarrai'') **

Large-toothed shrew The large-toothed shrew or Mexican large-toothed shrew (''Sorex macrodon'') is one of 77 species within the genus ''Sorex''. Registered on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable with a decreasing population, the Mexican large-toothed shrew has been reco ...

(''S. macrodon'') ** Sierra shrew (''S. madrensis'') ** McCarthy's shrew (''S. mccarthyi'') **

Carmen Mountain shrew The Carmen Mountain shrew (''Sorex milleri'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin Ame ...

(''S. milleri'') ** Mutable shrew (''S. mutabilis'') ** Dwarf shrew (''S. nanus'') ** Mexican long-tailed shrew (''S. oreopolus'') ** Orizaba long-tailed shrew (''S. orizabae'') **

Ornate shrew The ornate shrew (''Sorex ornatus'') is a species of mammal in the family Shrew, Soricidae (shrews). It is endemic to western North America, ranging from Northern California in the United States to the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. Eight s ...

(''S. ornatus'') ***'' Sorex ornatus juncensis'' ***''S. o. lagunae'' ***''S. o. ornatus'' ***''S. o. relictus'' ***''S. o. salarius'' ***''S. o. salicornicus'' ***''S. o. sinuosus'' ***''S. o. willetti'' ** Inyo shrew (''S. tenellus'') ** Verapaz shrew (''S. veraepacis'') **

Ixtlan shrew The Ixtlan shrew (''Sorex ixtlanensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in southern Mexico. References

Sorex Fauna of Mexico Mammals described in 2007 {{redtoothed-shrew-stub ...

(''Sorex ixtlanensis'') ** ''S. vagrans'' complex *** Glacier Bay water shrew (''S. alaskanus'') *** Eastern water shrew (''S. albibarbis'') ****''S. a. gloveralleni'' ****''S. a. labradorensis'' ****''S. a. punctulatus'' ****''S. a. turneri'' *** Baird's shrew (''S. bairdi'') ****''S. b. bairdi'' ****''S. b. permiliensis'' *** Marsh shrew (''S. bendirii'') ****''S. b. albiventer'' ****''S. b. bendirii'' ****''S. b. palmeri'' *** Montane shrew (''S. monticola'') ****''S. m. calvertensis'' ****''S. m. insularis'' ****''S. m. isolatus'' ****''S. m. longicaudus'' ****''S. m. malitiosus'' ****''S. m. parvidens'' ****''S. m. prevostensis'' ****''S. m. setosus'' *** New Mexico shrew (''S. neomexicanus'') *** Northern montane shrew (''S. obscurus'') ****''S. m. alascensis'' ****''S. m. elassodon'' ****''S. m. obscurus'' ****''S. m. shumaginensis'' ****''S. m. soperi'' *** Pacific shrew (''S. pacificus'') ****''S. p. pacificus'' ****''S. p. cascadensis'' *** Western water shrew (''S. navigator'') ****''S. n. brooksi'' ****''S. n. navigator'' *** American water shrew (''S. palustris'') ****''S. p. hydrobadistes'' ****''S. p. palustris'' ***

Fog shrew The fog shrew (''Sorex sonomae) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to northern California and Oregon in the United States. Description ''S. sonomae'' is categorized as the "largest" shrew found on the "Pacific Coast" ...

(''S. sonomae'') ****''S. s. sonomae'' ****''S. s. tenelliodus'' *** Vagrant shrew (''S. vagrans'') ****''S. v. halicoetes'' ****''S. v. paludivagus'' ****''S. v. vagrans'' ** ''S. cinereus'' group *** Kamchatka shrew (''S. camtschaticus'') *** Cinereous shrew (''S. cinereus'') ****''S. c. acadicus'' ****''S. c. cinereus'' ****''S. c. hollisteri'' ****''S. c. lesueurii'' ****''S. c. miscix'' ****''S. c. ohioensis'' ****''S. c. streatori'' *** Maryland shrew (''S. fontinalis'') *** Prairie shrew (''S. haydeni'') *** Saint Lawrence Island shrew (''S. jacksoni'') *** Paramushir shrew (''S. leucogaster'') *** Southeastern shrew (''S. longirostris'') *** Mount Lyell shrew (''S. lyelli'') *** Portenko's shrew (''S. portenkoi'') *** Preble's shrew (''S. preblei'') ***

Pribilof Island shrew The Pribilof Island shrew (''Sorex hydrodromus or Sorex pribilofensis'') is a small, short tailed species of mammal in the family Soricidae (shrews). It is endemic to and found only on Alaska's Pribilof Islands. Due to its distinct tricoloured ...

(''S. pribilofensis'') *** Olympic shrew (''S. rohweri'') *** Barren ground shrew (''S. ugyunak'') * Subgenus ''Sorex'' ** Dneper common shrew (''S. averini'') ** Lesser striped shrew (''S. bedfordiae'') ** Greater stripe-backed shrew (''S. cylindricauda'') ** Chinese highland shrew (''S. excelsus'') ** Azumi shrew (''S. hosonoi'') ** Chinese shrew (''S. sinalis'') ** Alaska tiny shrew (''S. yukonicus'') ** ''S. alpinus'' group *** Alpine shrew (''S. alpinus'') *** Ussuri shrew (''S. mirabilis'') ** ''S. araneus'' group *** Valais shrew (''S. antinorii'') *** Common shrew (''S. araneus'') ***

Udine shrew The Udine shrew (''Sorex arunchi'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in the Udine province of north-east Italy and in western Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. ...

(''S. arunchi'') *** Crowned shrew (''S. coronatus'') *** Siberian large-toothed shrew (''S. daphaenodon'') ****''S. d. daphaenodon'' ****''S. d. sanguinidens'' ****''S. d. scaloni'' *** Iberian shrew (''S. granarius'') *** Caucasian shrew (''S. satunini'') ** ''S. arcticus'' group ***

Arctic shrew The Arctic shrew (''Sorex arcticus''), also known as the blackback shrew or saddlebacked shrew, is a medium-sized shrew found in Canada and the northern United States. Separate species status has been proposed for the maritime shrew (''Sorex mar ...

(''S. arcticus'') ****''S. a. arcticus'' ****''S. a. laricorum'' *** Maritime shrew (''S. maritimensis'') ** ''S. tundrensis'' *** Tien Shan shrew (''S. asper'') *** Gansu shrew (''S. cansulus'') ***

Tundra shrew The tundra shrew (''Sorex tundrensis'') is a small shrew found in Alaska, the northern Yukon Territory, the MacKenzie Delta region of the Northwest Territories, extreme northwestern British ColumbiaNagorsen, D. 1996. Opossums, shrews and moles of ...

(''S. tundrensis'') ** ''S. minutus'' group *** Buchara shrew (''S. buchariensis'') *** Kozlov's shrew (''S. kozlovi'') *** Caucasian pygmy shrew (''S. volnuchini'') ****''S. v. dahli'' ****''S. v. volnuchini'' ** ''S. caecutiens'' group *** Laxmann's shrew (''S. caecutiens'') ***

Taiga shrew The taiga shrew (''Sorex isodon''), also known as the even-toothed shrew can achieve a body length of about 67 millimeters, with a tail of about 43 millimeters. This shrew is very similar to the long-clawed shrew. This species inhabits forested ...

(''S. isodon'') *** Eurasian least shrew (''S. minutissimus'') *** Eurasian pygmy shrew (''S. minutus'') *** Flat-skulled shrew (''S. roboratus'') *** Shinto shrew (''S. shinto'') ****''S. s. sadonis'' ****''S. s. shikokensis'' ****''S. s. shinto'' *** Long-clawed shrew (''S. unguiculatus'') ** ''S. gracillimus'' group *** Slender shrew (''S. gracillimus'') ** ''S. raddei'' *** Radde's shrew (''S. raddei'') ** ''S. samniticus'' *** Apennine shrew (''S. samniticus'') * Subgenus ''

incertae sedis or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' ** Alto shrew (''S. altoensis'') – Mexico ** Arizona shrew (''S. arizonae'') –

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

)

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

( Chihuahua) ** Zacatecas shrew (''S. emarginatus'') – Mexico ** Jalisco shrew (''S. mediopua'') – Mexico ** Merriam's shrew (''S. merriami'') – Western United States (

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, Arizona, New Mexico,

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

) ** Saussure's shrew (''S. saussurei'') – Mexico and

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

***''S. s. godmani'' ***''S. s. saussurei'' ** Salvin's shrew (''S. salvini'') – Mexico and Guatemala ** Sclater's shrew (''S. sclateri'') – Mexico ** San Cristobal shrew (''S. stizodon'') – Mexico ** Trowbridge's shrew (''S. trowbridgii'') –

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

Coast United States (Washington, Oregon, California)

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

(southern

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

) ***''S. t. destructioni'' ***''S. t. humboldtensis'' ***''S. t. mariposae'' ***''S. t. montereyensis'' ***''S. t. trowbridgii'' ** Chestnut-bellied shrew (''S. ventralis'') – Mexico ** Veracruz shrew (''S. veraecrucis'') – Mexico ***''S. v. oaxacae'' ***''S. v. veraecrucis''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5607349 Mammal genera Red-toothed shrews Animals that use echolocation Mammals described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus