Etruscan Shrew

The Etruscan shrew is the world's lightest living mammal by typical adult mass, usually weighing roughly 1.2–2.7 g. It has a slender body, grey-brown fur, a sharply pointed muzzle and a proportionately long tail. Its extremely small size is paired with a very high metabolic rate (Mammalian Species account; Mammal Diversity Database).

It is broadly distributed from the Mediterranean and Africa through South and Southeast Asia and uses warm habitats with dense ground cover, including grassland, scrub, field edges and gardens. It hunts tiny insects and other invertebrates repeatedly through the day and night. Thai-specific ecological studies are limited, so broader range facts are stated cautiously (Mammalian Species account). It is Nationally Least Concern (Thailand Red Data 2025).