Lesser White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura suaveolens)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vertebrate > terrestrial mammal > Insectivorous mammal |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Crocidura suaveolens |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Pallas, 1811) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Mathews & Harrower, 2020 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Given the restricted distribution of the Lesser White-Toothed Shrew to specific locations such as the Isles of Scilly, Jersey, and Sark, it can be inferred that their limited range makes them vulnerable to changes in their environment, whether from human activities or natural changes. Conservation efforts are essential to monitor and protect their habitats, ensuring the species does not move towards more critical conservation statuses. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Populations are stable but do require specific habitat characteristics. General habitat maintenance in locations where the species occurs is key for the conservation of this species. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Enhancing habitat diversity can support the ecological requirements of these shrews. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Given stability of populations, maintaining their habitat may be sufficient. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Create and maintain suitable habitat on the islands where the species occurs . This includes ensuring coastal and inland scrubland and hedgerow habitats are maintained to continue providing shelter and prey for this species.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: Unknown
High priority sites: Isles of Scilly, Jersey and Sark
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Implement a comprehensive monitoring programme for the lesser white-toothed shrew in the sites where it is known to occur, aiming to measure the species' abundance and density within identified habitats. Methods may include, live trapping, environmental DNA, camera trapping, to inform adaptive management strategies.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Habitat suitability modelling to identify unoccupied but suitable habitat with a view to identify sites where translocations could occur should threats to current populations increase.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.