Research news on Eulipotyphla (order)

Eulipotyphla is a mammalian order comprising primarily insectivorous placental species including shrews (Soricidae), moles (Talpidae), hedgehogs and gymnures (Erinaceidae), and solenodons (Solenodontidae). Defined by molecular phylogenetics, it replaces the former polyphyletic “Insectivora” and is placed within Laurasiatheria. Members typically exhibit elongated rostra, small eyes, reduced visual acuity, and dentitions specialized for invertebrate predation, often with high metabolic rates and energetically expensive lifestyles. Many taxa possess adaptations for fossorial (moles), terrestrial (shrews, hedgehogs), or semifossorial habits, with morphological specializations such as powerful forelimbs in moles and spines in hedgehogs, and they occupy key roles in soil turnover and invertebrate population regulation.