biology

List of eulipotyphlans

List of eulipotyphlans is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of eulipotyphlans rather than just read about it. In short: Eulipotyphla is an order of placental mammals which includes hedgehogs, gymnures, moles, shrew moles, desmans, solenodons, and shrews. Members of this order are called eulipotyphlans.

Key takeaways

List of eulipotyphlans belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of eulipotyphlans to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of eulipotyphlans from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Eulipotyphla is an order of placental mammals which includes hedgehogs, gymnures, moles, shrew moles, desmans, solenodons, and shrews. Members of this order are called eulipotyphlans. The order currently comprises 485 extant species, which are grouped into 53 genera. Eulipotyphlans live worldwide, with the exceptions of Australia and most of South America, and in a variety of habitats, particularly forests, shrublands, and grasslands, but also including savannas, wetlands, deserts, and rocky areas. They come in a variety of body plans in contrasting shapes and sizes, and range in size from the Etruscan shrew, at 3 cm (1 in) plus a 3 cm (1 in) tail to the moonrat, at 46 cm (18 in) plus a 30 cm (12 in) tail. Eulipotyphla is divided into four families: Erinaceidae, containing the hedgehogs and gymnures; Solenodontidae, containing the solenodons; Soricidae, containing the shrews; and Talpidae, containing the moles, shrew moles, and desmans. Erinaceidae has twenty-four species split between the subfamilies Erinaceinae (hedgehogs) and Galericinae (gymnures). Solenodontidae has only two species. Soricidae has 418 species split between the subfamilies Crocidurinae (white-toothed shrews), Myosoricinae (African shrews), and Soricinae (red-toothed shrews). Talpidae has 45 species split between the subfamilies Scalopinae (moles), Talpinae (moles, shrew moles, and desmans), and Uropsilinae (shrew moles). The exact classification of the species is not fixed, with many recent proposals made based on molecular phylogenetic analysis. One species was declared extinct in 2025, the Christmas Island shrew, the two to have gone extinct since 1500 CE the Puerto Rican Nesophontes, and the Christmas island shrew , and over 50 species, or more than 10 percent of all eulipotyphlans, are considered endangered or critically endangered.

Conventions The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the collective range of species in that genera is provided. Ranges are based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species unless otherwise noted. All extinct genera or species listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "†".

Classification The order Eulipotyphla consists of 485 extant species belonging to 53 genera. This does not include hybrid species, extinct prehistoric species, or the Christmas Island shrew, which was declared extinct in 2025. Modern molecular studies indicate that the 53 genera can be grouped into 4 families, and some of these families are subdivided into named subfamilies. Family Erinaceidae

Subfamily Erinaceinae (hedgehogs): 5 genera, 16 species Subfamily Galericinae (gymnures): 5 genera, 8 species Family Solenodontidae (solenodons): 2 genera, 2 species Family Soricidae

Subfamily Crocidurinae (white-toothed shrews): 9 genera, 234 species (1 extinct) Subfamily Myosoricinae (African shrews): 3 genera, 25 species Subfamily Soricinae (red-toothed shrews): 13 genera, 158 species Family Talpidae

Subfamily Scalopinae (moles): 5 genera, 7 species Subfamily Talpinae (moles, shrew moles, and desmans): 11 genera, 33 species Subfamily Uropsilinae (shrew moles): 1 genus, 4 species

Eulipotyphlans The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.

Family Erinaceidae

Members of the Erinaceidae family are erinaceids, and include hedgehogs and gymnures. Erinaceidae comprises twenty-four extant species divided into 10 genera. These genera are grouped into two subfamilies: Erinaceinae, or hedgehogs, and Galericinae, or gymnures.

Family Solenodontidae

Members of the Solenodontidae family are solenodontids, and it comprises two extant species of solenodons, each in its own genus.

Family Soricidae

Members of the Soricidae family are soricids or shrews. Soricidae comprises 418 extant species divided into 25 genera. These genera are grouped into three subfamilies: Crocidurinae, or white-toothed shrews, Myosoricinae, or African shrews, and Soricinae, or red-toothed shrews.

Family Talpidae

Members of the Talpidae family are talpids, and include moles, shrew moles, and desmans. Talpidae comprises 24 extant species divided into 17 genera. These genera are grouped into three subfamilies: Scalopinae, or moles, Talpinae, containing moles, shrew moles, and desmans, and Uropsilinae, or shrew moles.

References

Sources

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of eulipotyphlans

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of eulipotyphlans claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of eulipotyphlans before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of eulipotyphlans ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of eulipotyphlans

In research: List of eulipotyphlans appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of eulipotyphlans in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of eulipotyphlans is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Eulipotyphla, Lists of animal genera, Lists of eulipotyphlans, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of eulipotyphlans outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of eulipotyphlans in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is List of eulipotyphlans in simple terms?

Eulipotyphla is an order of placental mammals which includes hedgehogs, gymnures, moles, shrew moles, desmans, solenodons, and shrews. Members of this order are called eulipotyphlans.

Why does List of eulipotyphlans matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of eulipotyphlans?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of eulipotyphlans.