A now invalid order of small, mainly nocturnal mammals that included the hedgehogs, moles, and shrews. They have long snouts covered with stiff tactile hairs and their teeth are specialized for seizing and crushing insects and other small prey. Their evolutionary relationships have long been disputed, and it is now clear that Insectivora was polyphyletic; hence the term ‘insectivore’ is restricted to popular nonscientific usage. Most former members are now placed in the order Eulipotyphla, comprising three familes: Soricidae (shrews); Talpidae (moles); and Erinaceidae (hedgehogs). Molecular studies have shown that the golden moles and tenrecs are unrelated, and they now constitute the separate order Afrosoricida.