There are 32 teeth in Sorex. The single species of the subgenus Soriculus is a stocky shrew, with enlarged foreclaws and a short tail that is usually equal to less than 70 percent of the head and body length. This species is rather large, the head and body length usually being more than 80 mm. Episoriculus are rather slender, with small foreclaws and an extremely long tail that is nearly as long as the head and body. These shrews are rather small, the head and body length usually measuring less than 70 mm.
Asiatic shrews inhabit mainly damp areas in forests, thickets, and cultivated fields.
S. caudatus feeds on earthworms, insects, and other invertebrates and has also been known to eat small mammals caught in traps. In Nepal, S. nigrescens breeds from about May to October, with peaks in May and August.