Water Shrew (redirected from Eurasian water shrews)

Water Shrew 

any mammal of the genus Neomys of the family Sorex of the order Insectivora. The body length is 65–95 mm, and the tail length 45–75 mm. The feet and the digits are fringed with wiry hair to aid in swimming. There are two species, the European water shrew (Neomys fodiens), found in Europe and Siberia, and the Mediterranean water shrew (N. anomalous), found in Europe and Asia Minor. Water shrews live along the banks of small bodies of fresh water. They are semiaquatic and feed on invertebrates, frogs, and small fish. There are two or three litters per year, each with three to eight young. The European water shrew harms the ecology of ponds because it kills young fish.