# Etruscan shrew (*Suncus etruscus*)

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

The etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) is a mammal in the shrew family Soricidae, subfamily Crocidurinae, within the order Eulipotyphla. It is a tiny animal with an adult body mass of 2.13 g, and our sources report adults weighing up to 2.33 g. This nocturnal, terrestrial invertivore lives in shrubland habitat. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.13 g – 2.33 g |
| Length | 4 cm |
| Lifespan | 2.7 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 3.24 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | shrubland |
| Gestation | 27 days – 31 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.96 |
| Age at maturity | 7.5 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 3.4 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Eulipotyphla
- family: Soricidae
- genus: Suncus
- species: *Suncus etruscus* (Savi, 1822)

Synonyms: *Pachyura etrusca*, *Podihik etruscus*, *Sorex etruscus*

## Common questions

### How much does an etruscan shrew weigh?

An adult Etruscan shrew weighs 2.13 g, and our sources report adults of up to 2.33 g.

### What does the etruscan shrew eat?

The etruscan shrew is an invertivore, placed at the carnivore trophic level.

### Is the etruscan shrew endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does an etruscan shrew live?

The etruscan shrew has a lifespan of 2.7 years, and our sources report up to 3.2 years.

### How many young does an etruscan shrew have?

The etruscan shrew has 3.96 young per litter and 3.4 litters per year, after a gestation period of 27.9 days.

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

The etruscan shrew is a mammal of the family Soricidae in the order Eulipotyphla.

### Who named the etruscan shrew?

The etruscan shrew, Suncus etruscus, carries the authority (Savi, 1822).

### What are other names for the etruscan shrew?

Other English names include Savi's pygmy shrew, Madagascan shrew, Madagascan pygmy shrew and White-toothed pygmy shrew.

## 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: Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/etruscan-shrew