Common Shrew Sorex araneus

Identification features

• Inconspicuous ears
• Tail length is 50% of the length of the body and head
• Brown coloured fur all over the body which has a three-toned colour (dark brown back, pale sides and light underside)

Common shrews can be found in almost any habitat, most commonly in hedgerows, scrub, grassland and deciduous woodland

Other identification clues

Skulls

Common shrews can be recorded in owl pellets. Like all Derbyshire species of shrews, they have red tips to the teeth.

Comparison of Common shrew (top) and Pygmy shrew size.

Status in Derbyshire information

Photos: Steve Lonsdale