Crocidura russula
Silhouette: Inessa Voet · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 →
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
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Greater White-toothed Shrew sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 20 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.
February–March, July and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Greater White-toothed Shrew in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–June, August–September and November–January, the lowest months.
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.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Greater White-toothed Shrew sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Greater White-toothed Shrew is recorded against all the mammals logged in Wadden Sea National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
