# Common shrew (*Sorex araneus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-shrew  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common shrew (Sorex araneus), also called the Eurasian shrew or Eurasian common shrew, is a mammal in the shrew family Soricidae, order Eulipotyphla. It is a small, terrestrial invertivore with a cathemeral activity pattern, and adults weigh 10 g. Gestation lasts 21 days, litters average 6.6 young, and females have 1.9 litters per year, reaching sexual maturity at 330.5 days. Its lifespan is 2 years, up to 3.2 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8.2 g – 10 g |
| Length | 5.5 cm – 8.2 cm |
| Lifespan | 2 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 3.2 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 19 days – 21 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 6.56 |
| Age at maturity | 10.7 months – 11 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.9 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Eulipotyphla
- family: Soricidae
- genus: Sorex
- species: *Sorex araneus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Sorex alticola*, *Sorex araneus*, *Sorex araneus*, *Sorex araneus*, *Sorex araneus bergensis*, *Sorex araneus garganicus*, *Sorex araneus hülleri*, *Sorex araneus silanus*, *Sorex araneus wettsteini*, *Sorex averini*, *Sorex bergensis*, *Sorex bohemicus*, *Sorex bolkayi*, *Sorex carpathicus*, *Sorex castaneus*, *Sorex concinnus*, *Sorex crassicaudatus*, *Sorex cskii*, *Sorex daubentoni*, *Sorex fretalis*, *Sorex grantii*, *Sorex hermanni*, *Sorex ignotus*, *Sorex iochanseni*, *Sorex labiosus*, *Sorex macrotrichus*, *Sorex melanodon*, *Sorex mollis*, *Sorex monsvairani*, *Sorex nuda*, *Sorex pallidus*, *Sorex personatus*, *Sorex petrovi*, *Sorex peucinus*, *Sorex pulcher*, *Sorex pyrenaicus*, *Sorex quadricaudatus*, *Sorex rhinolophus*, *Sorex santonus*, *Sorex tetragonurus*, *Sorex uralensis*, *Sorex vulgaris*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common shrew?

The common shrew is a mammal of the family Soricidae in the order Eulipotyphla. It falls in the small size class.

### How much does a common shrew weigh?

An adult common shrew weighs 10 g, with a lowest reported value of 8.2 g.

### What does the common shrew eat?

The common shrew is an invertivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.

### How long does a common shrew live?

The common shrew lives 2 years, with a highest reported lifespan of 3.2 years.

### How many young does a common shrew have?

The common shrew has 6.6 young per litter and 1.9 litters per year, after a gestation period of 21 days.

### When does a common shrew reach sexual maturity?

The common shrew reaches sexual maturity at 330.5 days, with reported values from 326 to 335 days.

### Is the common shrew endangered?

No. The common shrew is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### Who named the common shrew?

The common shrew, Sorex araneus, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Common shrew (Sorex araneus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-shrew