| Eurasian water shrew[1] | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Neomys |
| Species: | N. fodiens
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| Binomial name | |
| Neomys fodiens (Pennant, 1771)
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| Eurasian water shrew range | |
| Synonyms | |
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Crossopus fodiens Pallas[3] | |
The Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens), known in the United Kingdom as the water shrew, is a relatively large shrew, up to 10 cm (4 in) long, with a tail up to three-quarters as long again. It has short, dark fur, often with a few white tufts, a white belly, and a few stiff hairs around the feet and tail. It lives close to fresh water, hunting aquatic prey in the water and nearby. Its fur traps bubbles of air in the water which greatly aids its buoyancy, but requires it to anchor itself to remain underwater for more than the briefest of dives.
Like many shrews, the water shrew has venomous saliva, making it one of the few venomous mammals, although it is not able to puncture the skin of large animals, nor that of humans. Highly territorial, it lives a solitary life and is found throughout the northern part of Europe and Asia, from Britain to Korea.
- ^ Hutterer, R. (2005). "Order Soricomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 279. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Hutterer, R.; Meinig, H.; Bertolino, S.; Kryštufek, B.; Amori, A.; Sheftel, B.; Stubbe, M.; Samiya, R.; Ariunbold, J. & Buuveibaatar, V. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Neomys fodiens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T29658A115170106. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T29658A22282586.en.
- ^ Buchanan White, F. (1882). "The Mammalia of Scotland". The Scottish Naturalist. 6: 49.