The order Insectivora (from Latin insectum "insect" and vorare "to eat") is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the class of mammals. Insectivora, an order of small, primitive mammals that includes the moles, shrews, hedgehogs, and several related animals. Members of the order are called insectivores. The name refers to the fact that they eat insects. Insectivores live in all temperate and tropical climates except Australia and the southern two-thirds of South America.