A genus of small shrew-like mammals found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, characterized by scent glands and venomous saliva in some species.
Modern scientific Latin, possibly from Greek krokis (thread or nap) alluding to the animals' fine fur, plus -ura (tail suffix). Named in the 18th-19th century during mammal classification.
Some Crocidura shrews are venomous—they're among the few venomous mammals, producing toxic saliva that helps them subdue prey much larger than themselves, which is pretty wild for such tiny animals!
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