The lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens ) is a tiny shrew with a widespread distribution in Africa, Asia and Europe. Its preferred habitat is scrub and gardens and it feeds on insects, arachnids, worms, gastropods, newts and small rodents, though its diet usually varies according to the biotope where it lives. The closely related Asian lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura shantungensis ) was once included in this species, but is now considered to be a separate species.
Like the common shrew, a female lesser white-toothed shrew and her young may form a "caravan" when foraging for food or seeking a place of safety; each shrew grips the tail of the shrew in front so that the group stays together.
The lesser white-toothed shrew occurs widely from France and Spain, in the west, across Europe and Asia to Japan and also in North Africa. It prefers dry ground, including scrub and gardens, and on the Isles of Scilly inhabits also shingle beaches and sand dunes.
The populations in the Isles of Scilly and in the Channel Islands of Jersey and Sark off the French coast are isolated.The lesser white-toothed shrew subspecies Crocidura suaveolens balearica lives on Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands.
