Etruscan Shrew vs limestone fern

Suncus etruscus compared with Gymnocarpium robertianum

Key Differences

• Etruscan Shrew is Least Concern while limestone fern is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Etruscan Shrew	limestone fern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Soricidae	Cystopteridaceae
Genus	Suncus	Gymnocarpium
Species	Suncus etruscus	Gymnocarpium robertianum

Conservation Status

Etruscan Shrew

LC — Least Concern

limestone fern

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Etruscan Shrew	limestone fern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Etruscan Shrew

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus, Yemen) and Europe (6 countries).

limestone fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Canada, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Etruscan Shrew

Etruscan Shrew (Suncus etruscus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.