Shrews, moles and their relatives are an order of small insect-eating mammals with long flexible snouts. This mammalian order also includes the endangered solenodons of Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The solenodons make up the smallest family with only two species, whereas the shrew family, known as true shrews, are the largest with nearly 400 species and a worldwide distribution. Unusually for mammals, the soricomorpha order contains a few species with venomous saliva and two of only three terrestrial mammals known to echolocate.

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