Etruscan Shrew vs Scaly Stalkball

Suncus etruscus compared with Tulostoma melanocyclum

Key Differences

• Etruscan Shrew is Least Concern while Scaly Stalkball is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Etruscan Shrew	Scaly Stalkball
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Soricidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Suncus	Tulostoma
Species	Suncus etruscus	Tulostoma melanocyclum

Conservation Status

Etruscan Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Scaly Stalkball

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Etruscan Shrew	Scaly Stalkball
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).

Scaly Stalkball

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, 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.