Greater White-toothed Shrew

Greater White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura russula

Silhouette: Inessa Voet · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Lisbon

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

11 Verified sightings at Lisbon
13 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Greater White-toothed Shrew

The greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) is a small insectivorous mammal found in Europe and North Africa. It is the most common of the white-toothed shrews. This species is found along the Mediterranean, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Germany and Portugal; in addition, the Osorio shrew of the Canary island of Gran Canaria, originally described as a separate species (Crocidura osorio), was later discovered to be a population of introduced greater white-toothed shrew. Furthermore, a subspecies of the greater white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula ibicensis, is found on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza. In April 2008, the greater white-toothed shrew was discovered in Ireland as well, and in 2021 in England, discovered by a cat named Jeff. Its preferred habitats are grassland and woodland. It is slightly larger than the lesser white-toothed shrew but otherwise very similar and can often be distinguished only by close inspection of its teeth which are unpigmented.

The greater white-toothed shrew is distinguished by a careful examination of its unpigmented teeth. Like other white-toothed shrews, C. russula lacks the deposition of iron in their enamel... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Defensive call0:18

Netherlands · 2024

© Daan Drukker · XC959759 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Recording0:25

Netherlands · 2023

© Brenda · Observation.org, Nature data from around the World · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Recording0:05

Netherlands · 2025

© Jace van der Willik · Observation.org, Nature data from around the World · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
2 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Essen 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
2 Porto 🇵🇹 Portugal
~10%
3 Paris 🇫🇷 France
<5%
4 Lisbon 🇵🇹 Portugal
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Greater White-toothed Shrew in Lisbon?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Greater White-toothed Shrew sighting in Lisbon on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 9 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Greater White-toothed Shrew in Lisbon?

February, May, September and November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Greater White-toothed Shrew in Lisbon on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, June–August, October and December–January, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Greater White-toothed Shrew?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Greater White-toothed Shrew sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Lisbon the best place to see a Greater White-toothed Shrew?

4th of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Greater White-toothed Shrew sightings, Lisbon ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Essen (Germany, about 10%), Porto (Portugal, about 10%) and Paris (France, under 5%).

Where does the Greater White-toothed Shrew sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Greater White-toothed Shrew is recorded against all the mammals logged in Lisbon (11 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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