The Etruscan shrew is one of the two smallest mammals along with the bumblebee bat and is also known as the white-toothed pygmy shrew.


    Due to its fast metabolism (conversion of food into energy) rate, Etruscan shrews need to eat twice their bodyweight each and every day.


    They weigh 1.8 grams and are 4 cm long (excluding the tail) and 7 cm (including). That it is an insanely small number as you would need 2,000 of them to get the equivalent of an average newborn''s weight.


    Although small, Etruscan shrews hunt for their own food and rely mainly on their sense of touch. Due to their size, they can only hunt small insects like crickets.