Thick-tailed shrews
| Thick-tailed shrews | ||||||||||||
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Musk shrew ( Suncus murinus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Suncus | ||||||||||||
| Ehrenberg , 1833 |
The suncus ( Suncus ) is a mammal genus from the family of shrews (Soricidae). The almost 20 species of this genus are distributed in Eurasia and Africa, the most well-known species include the musk shrew and the Etruscan shrew , which - together with the pig-nosed bat - is the smallest mammal of all.
features
This genus includes some of the largest as well as the smallest shrew species, accordingly their head body lengths vary between 35 and 150 millimeters, their tail lengths between 25 and 100 millimeters and their weight between 2.5 and over 100 grams. Their fur is short and soft, it is usually gray or brown in color. The tail is provided with long hair. Many species secrete a musky secretion through glands on their flanks.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area of this genus includes southern Europe , the southern and southeastern parts of Asia and Africa . They are mostly found in forests, but can also be found in fields and other cultivated areas and in human settlements.
Way of life
Thick-tailed shrews tend to be nocturnal and usually lead a solitary way of life, although they sometimes form pairs for reproduction and rearing young. The diet of these animals consists mainly of insects , but they also eat earthworms and other invertebrates. Sometimes they also consume flour, bread, and other human stored foods.
Reproduction
The reproduction of many species has hardly been researched. After a gestation period of around 27 to 30 days, the female gives birth to two to eight young animals. These are weaned after 17 to 20 days and can be adult and sexually mature by a month and a half. Life expectancy is short, in human care it is 1.5 to 2.5 years.
Danger
The musk shrew has been able to expand their range synanthropic. Most species are listed by the IUCN as "not endangered" ( least concern ).
The species
- Suncus aequatorius lives in central Africa. The species is considered endangered ( endangered ).
- Suncus ater is endemic to Borneo . The endangered status of the species is unknown ( data deficient ).
- Suncus dayi lives in southern India and is endangered .
- The Etruscan shrew ( Suncus etruscus ) is - together with the pig- nosed bat - the smallest mammal of all. She lives in Southern Europe, North Africa, and South Asia.
- Suncus fellowesgordoni isendemicto Sri Lanka . The IUCN lists the species as endangered .
- Suncus hosei only occurs in Borneo.
- The Hutu-Tutsi pygmy shrew ( Suncus hututsi ) is only known from Burundi and the south of Uganda.
- Suncus infinitesimus lives in central and southern Africa.
- Suncus lixus is distributed from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya to South Africa.
- Suncus madagascariensis lives in Madagascar .
- Suncus malayanus inhabits the Malay Peninsula .
- Suncus megalura (formerly included in the genus Sylvisorex ) is common in large parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
- Suncus mertensi isendemicto the Indonesian island of Flores . The species is considered endangered ( endangered ).
- Suncus montanus is endemic to Sri Lanka and is considered endangered ( vulnerable ).
- The musk shrew ( S. murinus ), one of the largest species, is distributed over large parts of Africa and Asia.
- Suncus remyi lives in a small area in Gabon . The species was not seen for decades after its first description in 1965 and was considered lost before it was rediscovered.
- Suncus stoliczkanus is common in Pakistan, India and Nepal.
- Suncus varilla isnative to Nigeria and Tanzania to South Africa.
- Suncus zeylanicus is endemic to Sri Lanka and is considered endangered .
literature
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- Endangerment level of the individual species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
Individual evidence
- ↑ JC Kerbis Peterhans and R. Hutterer: The description of a new species of Suncus (Soricidae, Mammalia) from central Africa. In: E. Thorn and JC Kerbis Peterhans (eds.): Small Mammals of Uganda. 2009, pp. 1–164. Bonn Zoological Monographs.