Vertebrate Zoology

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shrew

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

shrew common name for the small, insectivorous mammals of the family Soricidae, related to the moles . Shrews include the smallest mammals; the smallest shrews are under 2 in. (5.1 cm) long, excluding the tail, and the largest are about 6 in. (15 cm) long. Light-boned and fragile, shrews have mouselike bodies and long, pointed snouts with tiny, sharp teeth. They are terrestrial and nocturnal, mostly living under vegetation; some occupy the burrows of other small animals. Their musky odor, produced by a pair of glands on their flanks, deters some of their potential predators.

Extremely active and nervous, they have a higher metabolic rate than any other animal. The heart of the masked shrew, Sorex cinereus, beats 800 times a minute, considerably faster than that of the hummingbird. Shrews must eat incessantly in order to stay alive; most will starve to death if deprived of food for half a day. They eat anything available, but prefer small animals; they are economically important as destroyers of insects and slugs that harm crops.

Shrews are easily startled and will jump, faint, or drop dead at a sudden noise. They are vicious fighters, killing and eating larger animals, such as mice, as well as other shrews. A belief that the shrew's bite is poisonous was dismissed for years as a folk tale, but has since been substantiated; the saliva of at least one species of shrew is lethal to mice and can cause considerable pain to humans. Shrews live about 15 months and reproduce rapidly, bearing up to four litters a year, with up to eight young in a litter.

Shrews are found in Europe, Asia, North and Central America, and N South America. There are more than 350 species, all rather similar, classified in about 30 genera. The subfamily of red-toothed shrews, with orange- or red-tipped teeth, includes both Old and New World species; the white-toothed shrews are confined to the Old World. A third subfamily, sometimes called African shrews, is found exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa.

The common shrews of the Northern Hemisphere belong to the red-toothed genus Sorex, with many species in North America and a few in Europe and Asia. The water shrew of Canada and N United States, Sorex palustris, is adapted to aquatic living and can actually walk on the surface of water for a short distance. There are other aquatic shrews, of several genera, in Europe and Asia.

The giant water shrew of Africa is not a true shrew but an insectivore related to the tenrec . The elephant, or jumping, shrews of Africa are insectivores of the family Macroscelididae; they resemble miniature kangaroos with trunks. The Oriental tree shrew is an insectivorelike primate . True shrews are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Soricomorpha, family Soricidae.

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"shrew." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"shrew." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-shrew.html

"shrew." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-shrew.html

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shrew

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

shrew the shrew was popularly believed to be dangerous, and especially venomous. The name is recorded in Old English (in form scrēawa, scrǣwa, of Germanic origin); related words in Germanic languages have senses such as ‘dwarf’, ‘devil’, or ‘fox’.

From the Middle English period, shrew, with regard to the animal's reputation, was used to designate a malignant or vexatious person, and from this developed the particular sense of a bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "shrew." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "shrew." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-shrew.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "shrew." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-shrew.html

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shrew

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

shrew / shroō/ • n. a small mouselike insectivorous mammal (Sorex, Crocidura, and other genra, family Soricidae) with a long pointed snout and tiny eyes. ∎ a bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman. DERIVATIVES: shrew·ish adj. shrew·ish·ly adv. shrew·ish·ness n.

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shrew

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

shrew2 †malignant man XIII; person (now, woman) given to railing XIV. perh. transf. use of prec., but poss. spec. application of a word meaning ‘ill-disposed being’.
Hence shrewish †wicked XIV; ill-natured, given to scolding XVI.

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T. F. HOAD. "shrew." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "shrew." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-shrew1.html

T. F. HOAD. "shrew." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-shrew1.html

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shrew

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

shrew1 mammal of the genus Sorex, formerly held to be venomous. OE. sċrēawa, sċræwa, rel. to OHG. scrawaz dwarf, MHG. schrawaz devil, Icel. skrǫggr old man, Norw. skrugg dwarf. Comp. shrewmouse XVI.

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T. F. HOAD. "shrew." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "shrew." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-shrew.html

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shrew

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

shrew Smallest mammal, found throughout the world. It is an active, voracious insectivore that eats more than its own weight daily. Family Soricidae.

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"shrew." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-shrew.html

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shrew

shrew •accrue, adieu, ado, anew, Anjou, aperçu, askew, ballyhoo, bamboo, bedew, bestrew, billet-doux, blew, blue, boo, boohoo, brew, buckaroo, canoe, chew, clew, clou, clue, cock-a-doodle-doo, cockatoo, construe, coo, Corfu, coup, crew, Crewe, cru, cue, déjà vu, derring-do, dew, didgeridoo, do, drew, due, endue, ensue, eschew, feu, few, flew, flu, flue, foreknew, glue, gnu, goo, grew, halloo, hereto, hew, Hindu, hitherto, how-do-you-do, hue, Hugh, hullabaloo, imbrue, imbue, jackaroo, Jew, kangaroo, Karroo, Kathmandu, kazoo, Kiangsu, knew, Kru, K2, kung fu, Lahu, Lanzhou, Lao-tzu, lasso, lieu, loo, Lou, Manchu, mangetout, mew, misconstrue, miscue, moo, moue, mu, nardoo, new, non-U, nu, ooh, outdo, outflew, outgrew, peekaboo, Peru, pew, plew, Poitou, pooh, pooh-pooh, potoroo, pursue, queue, revue, roo, roux, rue, screw, Selous, set-to, shampoo, shih-tzu, shoe, shoo, shrew, Sioux, skean dhu, skew, skidoo, slew, smew, snafu, sou, spew, sprue, stew, strew, subdue, sue, switcheroo, taboo, tattoo, thereto, thew, threw, thro, through, thru, tickety-boo, Timbuktu, tiramisu, to, to-do, too, toodle-oo, true, true-blue, tu-whit tu-whoo, two, vendue, view, vindaloo, virtu, wahoo, wallaroo, Waterloo, well-to-do, whereto, whew, who, withdrew, woo, Wu, yew, you, zoo

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"shrew." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"shrew." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-shrew.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	SHREW TAKEN OFF ENDANGERED LIST REMOVAL CLEARS WAY FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION,... Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 3/28/2000
	Masked shrew (Sorex cinereus) abundance, diet and prey selection in an... Magazine article from: The American Midland Naturalist; 10/1/1997
	LONG-PROTECTED SHREW TO BE ON OWN SWAMP DWELLER HAS AFFECTED MANY PLANS FOR... Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 4/5/1997