Since the Ornate Shrew is grayish-brown, with paler grayish underparts, and is small and inconspicuous overall, one may wonder about the inspiration for its name. Did it remind the biologist who named it, in 1895, of a well-dressed but unpleasant acquaintance? Learn more about the Sorex ornatus, more commonly known as an Ornate Shrew, in this easy-to-read species overview by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.