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Greater White-toothed Shrew
Crocidura russula
The greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) is a small insectivorous mammal found in Europe and North Africa.
It is the most common of the white-toothed shrews. This species is found along the Mediterranean, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Germany and Portugal; in addition, the Osorio shrew of the Canary island of Gran Canaria, originally described as a separate species (Crocidura osorio), was later discovered to be a population of introduced greater white-toothed shrew. Furthermore, a subspecies of the greater white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula ibicensis, is found on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza. In April 2008, the greater white-toothed shrew was discovered in Ireland as well, and in 2021 in England, discovered by a cat named Jeff. Its preferred habitats are grassland and woodland. It is slightly larger than the lesser white-toothed shrew but otherwise very similar and can often be distinguished only by close inspection of its teeth which are unpigmented.
From the article Greater white-toothed shrew on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
The greater white-toothed shrew is found in temperate regions with plentiful insects. They are generally found in habitats such as grasslands, woodlands, hedgegrows and prime agricultural areas. To prepare for colder seasons, these shrews can be found living near farms and gardens. The greater white-toothed shrews tend to build their nest under stones, logs and in abandoned burrows. Typically these shrews are found at altitudes below 1000 metres.
Wikipedia: “Habitat”
What it does
The greater white toothed shrew is a carnivore, feeding mainly on invertebrates and occasionally small rodents, lizards and small amphibians.
Wikipedia: “Diet”
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Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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Every page naming Crocidura russula in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 46640.