Etruscan shrew
Scientific name: Suncus etruscus (Savi, 1822)
Overview
The Etruscan shrew, also known as the Etruscan pygmy shrew, white-toothed pygmy shrew and Savi's pygmy shrew, is the smallest known extant mammal by mass, weighing only about 1.8 g (0.063 oz) on average - as much as a paperclip.
From the Wikipedia article “Etruscan shrew”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa; Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China); Southern Asia.
Common names
Also known in English as Pygmy White-toothed Shrew, Savi’s pygmy shrew, White-toothed Pygmy Shrew.
Names in other languages (12)
- Arabic
- زباب سافي القزم
- Bengali
- বামন চিকা
- Chinese
- 小臭鼩
- French
- Pachyure étrusque
- German
- Etruskerspitzmaus
- Indonesian
- Celurut etruska
- Japanese
- コビトジャコウネズミ
- Persian
- حشرهخوار اتروسی
- Portuguese
- Musaranho-pigmeu
- Russian
- Карликовая многозубка
- Spanish
- Musarañita
- Turkish
- Cüce sivri fare
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q369889, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Etruscan shrew”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Suncus_etruscus.jpg: Trebol-a derivative work: Materialscientist (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Chermundy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026