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Definition 2024


Etruscan_shrew

Etruscan shrew

English

Noun

Etruscan shrew (plural Etruscan shrews)

  1. Suncus etruscus, a species of shrew native to Eurasia.
    • Ewald R. Weibel et al., The respiratory system of the smallest mammal. Published in: 1980, Knut Schmidt-Nielsen, Liana Bolis, Charles Richard Taylor, Comparative Physiology: Primitive Mammals, Cambridge University Press, page 181:
      Of particular interest is the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), the smallest living mammal, whose adult body mass averages no more than 2 g.
    • 1983, David Black, Animal wonders of the world, Exeter Books, page 15:
      Not much is known about the habits of the Etruscan shrew, but it swims well - most shrews do - and climbs well, but only if it has to.
    • 1999, Jacques Blondel, James Aronson, Biology and Wildlife of the Mediterranean Region, Oxford University Press, page 82:
      In spite of its small size, the Etruscan shrew is a fearsome predator for any living prey, provided it is small enough to be tackled: insects, worms, myriapods, and snails are all eaten voraciously because its survival requires incessant feeding.

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