In size similar to the giant and marsh shrews, the water shrew’s velvety coat is black on top and sides, and white or grayish in the under parts. Still, there are rare encounters of dark-bellied water shrews. The spread of water shrews spans from Norway to Great Britain to France and all the way to the delta of the Amur and off to Sakhalin; and in the north of Scandinavia to the Arctic Ocean, and to the polar circle in the Eastern Europe, and southeast to the Northern Mongolia and Northern China. They usually inhabit water front. They are great masters of swimming and diving, hence the name of water shrew. Water shrews prey on earthworms, insects, aquatic invertebrates, and apparently small vertebrates – the young of small rodents, small frogs, tadpoles, and small fish. Their daily consumption is somewhat over their own weight. Water shrews can starve longer in contrast with common shrew – it perishes on the third day of deprivation. Gestation is registered in the spring and mid-summer. Females bear 4-10 embryos.
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