Eulipotyphla is an order of placental mammals which includes hedgehogs, gymnures, moles, shrew moles, desmans, solenodons, and shrews. Members of this order are called eulipotyphlans. The order currently comprises 497 extant species, which are grouped into 53 genera. Eulipotyphlans live worldwide, with the exceptions of Australia and most of South America, and in a variety of habitats, particularly forests, shrublands, and grasslands, but also including savannas, wetlands, deserts, and rocky areas. They come in a variety of body plans in contrasting shapes and sizes, and range in size from the Etruscan shrew, at 3 cm (1 in) plus a 3 cm (1 in) tail to the moonrat, at 46 cm (18 in) plus a 30 cm (12 in) tail.
Eulipotyphla is divided into four families: Erinaceidae, containing the hedgehogs and gymnures; Solenodontidae, containing the solenodons; Soricidae, containing the shrews; and Talpidae, containing the moles, shrew moles, and desmans. Erinaceidae has twenty-four species split between the subfamilies Erinaceinae (hedgehogs) and Galericinae (gymnures). Solenodontidae has only two species. Soricidae has 429 species split between the subfamilies Crocidurinae (white-toothed shrews), Myosoricinae (African shrews), and Soricinae (red-toothed shrews). Talpidae has 45 species split between the subfamilies Scalopinae (moles), Talpinae (moles, shrew moles, and desmans), and Uropsilinae (shrew moles). The exact classification of the species is not fixed, with many recent proposals made based on molecular phylogenetic analysis. One species was declared extinct in 2025, the Christmas Island shrew, the only one to have gone extinct since 1500 CE, and over 50 species, or more than 10 percent of all eulipotyphlans, are considered endangered or critically endangered.
Conventions The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the collective range of species in that genera is provided. Ranges are based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species unless otherwise noted. All extinct genera or species listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "".
Classification The order Eulipotyphla consists of 497 extant species belonging to 53 genera. This does not include hybrid species, extinct prehistoric species, or the Christmas Island shrew, which was declared extinct in 2025. Modern molecular studies indicate that the 53 genera can be grouped into 4 families, and some of these families are subdivided into named subfamilies.
Family Erinaceidae Subfamily Erinaceinae (hedgehogs): 5 genera, 16 species Subfamily Galericinae (gymnures): 5 genera, 8 species
Family Solenodontidae (solenodons): 2 genera, 2 species
Family Soricidae Subfamily Crocidurinae (white-toothed shrews): 9 genera, 245 species (1 extinct) Subfamily Myosoricinae (African shrews): 3 genera, 25 species Subfamily Soricinae (red-toothed shrews): 13 genera, 159 species
Family Talpidae Subfamily Scalopinae (moles): 5 genera, 7 species Subfamily Talpinae (moles, shrew moles, and desmans): 11 genera, 33 species Subfamily Uropsilinae (shrew moles): 1 genus, 4 species
Eulipotyphlans The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.
Family Erinaceidae
Members of the Erinaceidae family are erinaceids, and include hedgehogs and gymnures. Erinaceidae comprises twenty-four extant species divided into 10 genera. These genera are grouped into two subfamilies: Erinaceinae, or hedgehogs, and Galericinae, or gymnures.
Family Solenodontidae
Members of the Solenodontidae family are solenodontids, and it comprises two extant species of solenodons, each in its own genus.
Family Soricidae
Members of the Soricidae family are soricids or shrews. Soricidae comprises 429 extant species divided into 25 genera, as well as one extinct species. These genera are grouped into three subfamilies: Crocidurinae, or white-toothed shrews, Myosoricinae, or African shrews, and Soricinae, or red-toothed shrews.
Family Talpidae
Members of the Talpidae family are talpids, and include moles, shrew moles, and desmans. Talpidae comprises 24 extant species divided into 17 genera. These genera are grouped into three subfamilies: Scalopinae, or moles, Talpinae, containing moles, shrew moles, and desmans, and Uropsilinae, or shrew moles.
References Wilson, Reeder, pp. 212–311
Atelerix sizes and diets: Four-toed hedgehog: North African hedgehog: Somali hedgehog: Kingdon, p. 36 Southern African hedgehog: Atelerix habitats: Four-toed hedgehog: North African hedgehog: Somali hedgehog: Southern African hedgehog: Erinaceus sizes and diets: Amur hedgehog: Smith; Xie, p. 293
European hedgehog: Northern white-breasted hedgehog, Southern white-breasted hedgehog: Nowak, pp. 174–175 Erinaceus habitats: Amur hedgehog: European hedgehog: Northern white-breasted hedgehog: Southern white-breasted hedgehog: Hemiechinus sizes and diets: Indian long-eared hedgehog: Nowak, pp. 178–179 Long-eared hedgehog: Hemiechinus habitats: Indian long-eared hedgehog: Long-eared hedgehog: Mesechinus sizes and diets: Daurian hedgehog: Nowak, pp. 178–179
Hugh's hedgehog: Nowak, pp. 178–179 Mesechinus habitats: Daurian hedgehog: Hugh's hedgehog: Paraechinus sizes and diets: Bare-bellied hedgehog, Brandt's hedgehog: Nowak, pp. 177–179 Desert hedgehog: Indian hedgehog: Paraechinus habitats: Bare-bellied hedgehog: Brandt's hedgehog: Desert hedgehog: Indian hedgehog: Nowak, p. 173
Hylomys sizes and diets: Dwarf gymnure, Long-eared gymnure: Nowak, p. 171 Short-tailed gymnure: Nowak, p. 171
Hylomys habitats: Dwarf gymnure: Long-eared gymnure: Short-tailed gymnure: Nowak, p. 172
Podogymnura sizes and diets: Dinagat gymnure: Nowak, p. 174 Mindanao gymnure: Podogymnura habitats: Dinagat gymnure: Mindanao gymnure: Nowak, pp. 199, 201
Nowak, p. 221 Crocidura habitats: African black shrew: African dusky shrew: African giant shrew: Andaman shrew: Andaman spiny shrew: Annamite shrew: Ansell's shrew: Arabian shrew: Armenian shrew: Asian gray shrew: Asian lesser white-toothed shrew: Bailey's shrew: Bale shrew: Banka shrew: Batak shrew: Bates's shrew: Beccari's shrew: Beletta shrew: Bicolored musk shrew: Bicolored shrew: Black-footed shrew: Blackish white-toothed shrew: Bornean shrew: Bottego's shrew: Buettikofer's shrew: Butiaba naked-tailed shrew: Cameroonian shrew: Canarian shrew: Caspian shrew: Chinese white-toothed shrew: Christmas Island shrew: Cinderella shrew: Congo white-toothed shrew: Cranbrook's white-toothed shrew: Cretan shrew: Crosse's shrew: Cyrenaica shrew: Dent's shrew: Desert musk shrew: Desperate shrew: Dhofar shrew: Doucet's musk shrew: Dsinezumi shrew: East African highland shrew: Egyptian pygmy shrew: Eisentraut's shrew: Elgon shrew: Elongated shrew: Fingui white-toothed shrew: Fischer's shrew: Flat-headed shrew: Flower's shrew: Fox's shrew: Fraser's musk shrew: Gathorne's shrew: Glass's shrew: Gmelin's white-toothed shrew: Goliath shrew: Gracile naked-tailed shrew: Grasse's shrew: Greater Mindanao shrew: Greater red musk shrew: Greater white-toothed shrew: Greenwood's shrew: Guramba shrew: Guy's shrew: Güldenstädt's shrew: Hainan Island shrew: Harenna shrew: Heather shrew: Hildegarde's shrew: Hill's shrew: Horsfield's shrew: Hun shrew: Hutan shrew: Indochinese shrew: Iranian shrew: Jackass shrew: Jackson's shrew: Javan ghost shrew: Javanese shrew: Jenkins's shrew: Jouvenet's shrew: Kashmir white-toothed shrew: Katinka's shrew: Kilimanjaro shrew: Kinabalu shrew: Kivu long-haired shrew: Kivu shrew: Lamotte's shrew: Large-headed forest shrew: Latona's shrew: Lesser Ryukyu shrew: Lesser gray-brown musk shrew: Lesser red musk shrew: Lesser rock shrew: Lesser white-toothed shrew: Long-footed shrew: Long-tailed musk shrew: Lucina's shrew: Ludia's shrew: Luzon shrew: Lwiro shrew: MacArthur's shrew: MacMillan's shrew: Makwassie musk shrew: Malayan shrew: Mamfe shrew: Manenguba shrew: Mauritanian shrew: Mduma's shrew: Mindanao shrew: Mindoro shrew: Montane white-toothed shrew: Moonshine shrew: Mossy forest shrew: Mount Nimba giant forest shrew: Munissi's shrew: Narrow-headed shrew: Negev shrew: Negros shrew: Nicobar shrew: Nigerian shrew: Nimba shrew: Niobe's shrew: North African white-toothed shrew: Nyiro shrew: Oriental shrew: Palawan shrew: Pale gray shrew: Panay shrew: Peninsular shrew: Peters's musk shrew: Phan Luong's shrew: Phu Hoc shrew: Pitman's shrew: Polia's shrew: Rainey's shrew: Reddish-gray musk shrew: Roosevelt's shrew: Ryukyu shrew: Sa Pa shrew: Saharan shrew: Sahelian tiny shrew: Savanna dwarf shrew: Savanna path shrew: Savanna shrew: Savanna swamp shrew: Siberian shrew: Sibuyan shrew: Sicilian shrew: Sinharaja white-toothed shrew: Small-footed shrew: Smoky white-toothed shrew: Sokolov's shrew: Somali dwarf shrew: Somali shrew: Southeast Asian shrew: Sri Lankan long-tailed shrew: Sulawesi shrew: Sulawesi tiny shrew: Sulawesi white-handed shrew: Sumatran giant shrew: Sumatran long-tailed shrew: Sunda shrew: Swamp musk shrew: São Tomé shrew: Taiwanese gray shrew: Tanzanian shrew: Tarella shrew: Telford's shrew: Thalia's shrew: Therese's shrew: Thick-tailed shrew: Timor shrew: Turbo shrew: Ugandan lowland shrew: Ugandan musk shrew: Ultimate shrew: Upemba shrew: Usambara shrew: Ussuri white-toothed shrew: Voi shrew: Voracious shrew: West African long-tailed shrew: West African pygmy shrew: Whitaker's shrew: Wimmer's shrew: Xanthippe's shrew: Yankari shrew: Zaphir's shrew: Zarudny's rock shrew: Nowak, p. 227
Nowak, p. 226
Paracrocidura sizes and diets: Grauer's large-headed shrew, Greater large-headed shrew, Lesser large-headed shrew: Nowak, p. 222 Paracrocidura habitats: Grauer's large-headed shrew: Greater large-headed shrew: Lesser large-headed shrew: Nowak, p. 225
Scutisorex sizes and diets: Hero shrew: Thor's hero shrew: Nowak, pp. 228–229 Scutisorex habitats: Hero shrew: Thor's hero shrew:
Suncus sizes and diets: Anderson's shrew, Asian highland shrew, Black shrew, Bornean pygmy shrew, Day's shrew, Flores shrew, Greater dwarf shrew, Hutu-Tutsi dwarf shrew, Jungle shrew, Least dwarf shrew, Lesser dwarf shrew, Malayan pygmy shrew, Remy's pygmy shrew, Sri Lankan shrew: Kingdon, p. 178 Asian house shrew: Kingdon, p. 175
Climbing shrew: Kingdon, p. 175 Etruscan shrew: Nowak, p. 224
Taita shrew: Kingdon, pp. 172, 173 Suncus habitats: Anderson's shrew: Asian highland shrew: Asian house shrew: Black shrew: Bornean pygmy shrew: Climbing shrew: Day's shrew: Etruscan shrew: Flores shrew: Greater dwarf shrew: Hutu-Tutsi dwarf shrew: Jungle shrew: Least dwarf shrew: Lesser dwarf shrew: Malayan pygmy shrew: Remy's pygmy shrew: Sri Lankan shrew: Taita shrew: Sylvisorex sizes and diets: Bamenda pygmy shrew, Bioko forest shrew, Corbet's forest shrew, Dudu Akaibe's pygmy shrew, Kongana shrew, Lesser forest shrew: Nowak, p. 225 Kingdon, p. 186 Cameroonian forest shrew, Johnston's forest shrew, Volcano shrew: Kingdon, pp. 186, 187 Grant's forest shrew: Kingdon, pp. 186, 188 Greater forest shrew: Kingdon, pp. 186, 195