Etruscan Shrew vs Thyme Plume

Suncus etruscus compared with Merrifieldia leucodactyla

Key Differences

• Etruscan Shrew is Least Concern while Thyme Plume is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Etruscan Shrew	Thyme Plume
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Soricidae	Pterophoridae
Genus	Suncus	Merrifieldia
Species	Suncus etruscus	Merrifieldia leucodactyla

Evolutionary Relationship

Etruscan Shrew and Thyme Plume share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Etruscan Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Thyme Plume

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Etruscan Shrew	Thyme Plume
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).

Thyme Plume

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Algeria, Morocco), Asia (7 countries), and Europe (35 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇹 Italy 🇷🇺 Russia 🇪🇸 Spain