Eurasian water shrew: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Eurasian water shrew lives – recorded in 17 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Neomys fodiens
Group	Hedgehogs, shrews & moles
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	17 countries
Continents	Europe
Class	Mammal
Order	Eulipotyphla
Family	Soricidae

Where does the Eurasian water shrew live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Eurasian water shrew in 17 countries and territories across Europe. Wikidata gives its range as: France, United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, Russia, Korea, Germany, Belarus, Norway, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Eurasian water shrew endangered?

The Eurasian water shrew’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Eurasian water shrew?

The Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens) is a mammal in the order Eulipotyphla and the family Soricidae, genus Neomys. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Eurasian water shrew

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 invertebrates nearby.

Like many shrews, the water shrew has venomous saliva, making it one of the few venomous mammals. It lives a solitary life and is found throughout the northern part of Europe and Asia, from Britain to Korea.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Eurasian water shrew (revision 1349313234), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q465986 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).