Found throughout Europe and parts of northern Asia, this tiny insectivore is barely the length of a human thumb and lighter than a coin. Its size may seem like a weakness, but in the animal kingdom, small doesn’t mean fragile. In fact, the pygmy shrew has managed to thrive in a wide range of habitats, from forests and meadows to farmland edges, proving that resilience often comes in small packages.
What sets the Eurasian pygmy shrew apart from many other small mammals is its supercharged metabolism. Because of its tiny body, it loses heat rapidly and must eat almost constantly to stay alive. A pygmy shrew needs to consume up to 125% of its body weight in food every single day. Skipping meals isn’t an option—it can starve to death in just a few hours. Its diet mainly consists of insects, spiders, worms, and other invertebrates it finds by foraging through leaf litter and soil. To fuel this lifestyle, its heart can beat as fast as 1,200 times per minute, and it breathes about 500 times a minute. It is, quite literally, always on the move, darting about with a level of energy that few animals can match.
Unlike rodents that may form colonies or groups, the Eurasian pygmy shrew is a solitary creature. It lives hidden lives under leaves, roots, and grassy cover, only coming out into the open briefly while hunting. Because of its high energy needs, it has a restless nature, sleeping only for a few minutes at a time before waking to hunt again. Its territory is marked with scent, and shrews are not very tolerant of neighbors—competition for food is too fierce for sharing. While it doesn’t hibernate in winter, it adapts by growing a denser coat and sometimes shrinking its body and skull size in the colder months, a phenomenon known as Dehnel’s phenomenon. This adaptation reduces energy demands until food becomes easier to find again in spring.
Distribution
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia And Herz.
Bulgaria
China
Croatia
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
India
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Moldova
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Pakistan
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United KingdomAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
