The lesser Ryukyu shrew, or Watase's shrew
(''Crocidura watasei'') is a common species of
shrew
Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different fa ...
s that is endemic to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. It is often found living in bushes and grasslands along the river banks and in shrubs of lower elevations.
References
Mammals described in 1924
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