Complex sentence: They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, external ears and small forefeet unspecialized for burrowing, and are similar to shrews in external appearance and presumably ecological habits.
Split into simpler sentences: They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, external ears and small forefeet unspecialized for burrowing. Indeed, they are similar to shrews in size, external appearance and presumably ecological habits.