The Water Shrew is a semi-aquatic mammal with red-tipped teeth and can be found throughout England. It is equally at home on dry land as it is in water, but it does prefer to live close to water like its name suggests. It can be seen near rivers, ponds, stream banks, reed banks and sometimes in woodlands, rough grasslands, scrub and hedgerows.

The Water Shrew has dense grey-black fur on top and white fur below, but its fur looks a silvery colour in water. It has a body length of about nine centimetres and its tail is around seven centimetres long. Its tail is a pinkish colour with bristly hairs on the underside. Its face is long and pointed with a pinkish coloured snout. It has legs and feet that are also a pink colour and its hind feet are larger than the front to help the Water Shrew to propel forward when it swims.

Water Shrews are active day and night and when they hunt for food, they use poisonous saliva to stun prey. They eat many things such as the larvae of water insects, molluscs, small fish, worms, snails and beetles. Water Shrews do not hibernate so they have to forage for food both under water and on land to survive the winter.