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shrew

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shrew

Insectivorous mammal of the family Soricidae, order Insectivora, found in the Americas and Eurasia. It is mouselike, but with a long nose and pointed teeth. Its high metabolic rate means that it must eat almost constantly.

The common shrew Sorex araneus is about 7.5 cm/3 in long with a long, supple, pointed snout bearing numerous stiff hairs projecting beyond the lower jaw; its fur is reddish-grey above and greyish beneath. It has glands which secrete a strong, unpleasant odour as a means of defence. It feeds on insects, worms, and often on members of its own kind killed after a fight.

The pigmy shrew Sorex minutus is only about 5 cm/2 in long with iridescent fur. The water shrew Neomys fodiens lives mainly on molluscs, and is essentially aquatic in habit, though only slightly modified for such a life; the feet are fringed with stiff hairs that aid in swimming.



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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The wicked shrew was determined to get rid of the girl by fair means or foul, and kept saying to her father: 'Send her away, old man; send her away--anywhere so that my eyes sha'n't be plagued any longer by the sight of her, or my ears tormented by the sound of her voice.
The Yellow Fairy Book by Lang, Andrew View in context
But as the fly in his ointment of jovial irresponsibility was his wife, Lenerengo--the prize shrew of Somo, who was as lean about the middle and all the rest of her as her husband was rotund; who was as remarkably sharp-spoken as he was soft-spoken; who was as ceaselessly energetic as he was unceasingly idle; and who had been born with a taste for the world as sour in her mouth as it was sweet in his.
Jerry of the Islands by London, Jack View in context
" cried one, "here is an old dotard shrew to have so goodly a crutch
The White Company by Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan View in context
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