Comparative measurements of running speed in five species of European shrews (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla)

Maximum locomotor performance, defined as flight speed in a nine-meter runway, was measured in the common shrew (Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758), pygmy shrew (S. minutus Linnaeus, 1766), European water shrew (Neomys fodiens Pennant, 1771), Miller’s water shrew (N. anomalus Cabrera, 1907) and lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens Pallas, 1811). Observed maxima ranged from 81 (C. suaveolens) to 181 cm/sec (S. araneus). N. fodiens was significantly slower than N. anomalus.