Are shrews protected animals? A detailed answer in one article

Not all. There are actually a great many species of shrews, and some are protected animals.

Shrews are distributed from western Europe and Russia to the northwest and northeast of our country, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and other places. Except for the polar regions, Oceania and some oceanic islands, they are found on all continents, but in South America they are seen only in the north.

The water shrew is listed in China's Red List of Biodiversity (Vulnerable, VU). Internationally this species is listed as “Lower Risk / Conservation Dependent”, and in our country as “Rare (R)”. There are related protected areas, such as the Liudingshan Nature Reserve.

The water shrew is included in the relevant national animal protection lists. It is known that Dunhua City in Jilin Province has 2 nature reserves, namely Yanming Lake and Liudingshan Nature Reserve, where it may receive some protection.

Internationally this species is listed as “Lower Risk / Conservation Dependent” (Stone, 1995). Given the rarity of this species in our country, which differs from the general standard for endangered status, it is still rated here as “Rare”.

What is a shrew?

It is the earliest placental mammal, originating in the Mesozoic Cretaceous, and is the smallest mammal in the world (body length only 4-6 cm, tail length 4-5 cm, body weight 1-5 g [for different species of shrews, body weight varies rather greatly, so this refers mainly to the lesser shrew and the slender shrew]). The eyes are tiny and eyesight is poor; hearing and smell are well developed; the outer ear flap is not obvious. It is suited to eating insects and is a small and lovely beneficial animal. A shrew's foot has five toes with claws; the snout is pointed and long; the eyes are small, the ears short, the limbs slender, and the claws on the feet small; the tail length is greater than half the body length.