Shrew-like mammals – probably ancestors or cousins of true shrews – are known from the Eocene Epoch (around 45 million years ago) of North America. True shrews originated later in... Shrews, like moles, are strictly insectivorous and eat earthworms, grubs and other nuisance insects. Unlike moles, shrews may occasionally be seen running above ground in search of food. For both moles and shrews, prey is largely insects and other invertebrates. Neither moles nor shrews sleep much. Shrews, in particular, must hunt almost constantly or starve. The shrews, not true shrews at all but relatives of primates, are more genetically similar to humans than other lab animals like mice. The 461 species of shrews (not shrew moles) are found nearly everywhere on earth and are the fourth-largest mammal family after the murids (rats and mice), cricetidae... To study individual shrews, the researchers used live traps to capture the animals in Germany from summer 2014 to fall 2015. The captured shrews were X-rayed and implanted with a... Water shrew, Neomys fodiens, single shrew on rock by water, Warwickshire, July 2010.Of the three widespread U.K. shrews the one you will find the most pictures of is the water shrew. See more ideas about elephant shrew, mammals, cute animals.Oddly, Africa's wee Elephant Shrews (family Macroscelididae) are closely related to elephants. "Mice are in the order Rodentia, and shrews are in the order Eulipotyphla, which includes animals likes moles and hedgehogs," Alvarado said. Original article on Live Science. shrews. - mole shrew, the most common shrew in the eastern United States, - about 11.4 cm (about 4.5 in) long. Reference: 1. John Whitaker Jr.