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The genus Sorex is a group of mainly land-dwelling shrews with relatively long tails which includes many of the common shrews of Europe and North America. They are red-toothed shrews; species in this group have 32 teeth.

These animals have long pointed snouts, small ears which are often not visible and scent glands located on the side of the body. As their eyesight is general poor, they rely on hearing and smell to locate their prey, mainly insects. Some species also use echolocation. It is often difficult to distinguish between species without examining the dental pattern.

In some species, a female shrew and her dependent young form "caravans" where each shrew grasps the rear of the shrew in front when changing location.

The list of species is:

• Glacier Bay Water Shrew (S. alaskanus)
• Alpine Shrew (S. alpinus)
• Common Shrew (S. araneus)
• Arctic Shrew (S. arcticus)
• Arizona Shrew (S. arizonae)
• Tien Shan Shrew (S. asper)
• Baird's Shrew (S. bairdii)
• Lesser Striped Shrew (S. bedfordiae)
• Marsh Shrew (S. bendirii)
• Pamir Shrew (S. buchariensis)
• Laxmann's Shrew (S. caecutiens)
• Kamchatka Shrew (S. camtschatica)
• Gansu Shrew (S. cansulus)
• Masked Shrew or Common Shrew (S. cinereus)
• Crowned Shrew (S. coronatus)
• Stripe-backed Shrew (S. cylindricauda)
• Large-toothed Siberian Shrew (S. daphaenodon)
• Long-tailed Shrew (S. dispar)
• Zacatecas Shrew (S. emarginatus)
• Lofty Shrew (S. excelsus)
• Smoky Shrew (S. fumeus)
• Gaspé Shrew (S. gaspensis)
• Slender Shrew (S. gracillimus)
• Lagranja Shrew (S. granarius)
• Prairie Shrew (S. haydeni)
• Azumi Shrew (S. hosonoi)
• Pygmy Shrew (S. hoyi)
• Pribilof Island Shrew (S. hydrodromus)
• Even-toothed Shrew (S. isodon)
• Saint Lawrence Island Shrew (S. jacksoni)
• Kozlov's Shrew (S. kozlovi)
• Paramushir Shrew (S. leucogaster)
• Southeastern Shrew (S. longirostris)
• Mount Lyell Shrew (S. lyelli)
• Large-toothed Shrew (S. macrodon)
• Maritime Shrew (S. maritimensis)
• Merriam's Shrew (S. merriami)
• Carmen Mountain Shrew (S. milleri)
• Eurasian Least Shrew (S. minutissimus)
• Eurasian Pygmy Shrew (S. minutus)
• Ussuri Shrew (S. mirabilis)
• Montane Shrew (S. monticolus)
• Dwarf Shrew (S. nanus)
• Mexican Long-tailed Shrew (S. oreopolus)
• Ornate Shrew (S. ornatus)
• Pacific Shrew (S. pacificus)
• American Water Shrew (S. palustris)
• Kashmir Shrew (S. planiceps)
• Portenko's Shrew (S. portenkoi)
• Preble's Shrew (S. preblei)
• Radde's Shrew (S. raddei)
• Flat-skulled Shrew (S. roboratus)
• Sado Shrew (S. sadonis)
• Apennine Shrew (S. samniticus)
• Caucasian Shrew (S. satunini)
• Saussure's Shrew (S. saussurei)
• Sclater's Shrew (S. sclateri)
• Shinto Shrew (S. shinto)
• Chinese Shrew (S. sinalis)
• Fog Shrew (S. sonomae)
• San Cristobal Shrew (S. stizodon)
• Inyo Shrew (S. tenellus)
• Tibetan Shrew (S. thibetanus)
• Trowbridge's Shrew (S. trowbridgii)
• Tundra Shrew (S. tundrensis)
• Barren Ground Shrew (S. ugyunak)
• Long-clawed Shrew (S. unguiculatus)
• Vagrant Shrew (S. vagrans)
• Chestnut-bellied Shrew (S. ventralis)
• Verapaz Shrew (S. veraepacis)
• Caucasian Pygmy Shrew (S. volnuchini)
• Alaska Tiny Shrew (S. yukonicus)