Dark-footed wood shrew

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Dark-footed wood shrew
Systematics
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Insect eater (Eulipotyphla)
Family : Shrews (Soricidae)
Subfamily : Myosoricinae
Genre : African wood shrews ( Myosorex )
Type : Dark-footed wood shrew
Scientific name
Myosorex cafer
( Sundevall , 1846)
Distribution area of ​​the dark-footed wood shrew

The dark-footed wood shrew ( Myosorex cafer ) is a species in the genus of the African wood shrews .

features

This shrew is 101 to 143 mm long with tail, the tail length is 30 to 51 mm and the weight is 10 to 15 g. It has rear feet 13 to 16 mm long and ears 9 to 12 mm long. Compared to the South African wood shrew ( Myosorex varius ), the feet are darker, which is reflected in the German name. Red-brown to black-brown fur occurs on the upper side, while the underside is covered by yellow-brown fur. The tail is dark brown in color.

distribution

The dark-footed wood shrew has several separate populations in eastern Zimbabwe , in adjacent areas of Mozambique , in Swaziland and in eastern South Africa . It lives in the lowlands and in mountains up to 2000 meters above sea level. Evergreen and other forests serve as habitats .

Way of life

The animals are mainly nocturnal in summer, while in winter they also look for food during the day. The dark-footed wood shrew mostly lives near watercourses and eats invertebrates and occasionally parts of plants. A spherical nest made of grass that was found probably came from this species. The shrew is hunted by barn owls. Pregnant females were mostly registered in spring and autumn. The number of embryos was usually 2–3 and rarely up to 5.

status

Deforestation poses a regional threat to the population. In general, the species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference . 3. Edition. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Myosorex cafer ).
  2. ↑ a b Skinner & Chimimba: The Mammals of the Southern African sub-region . Cambridge University Press, 2005, pp. 234-235 ( Myosorex cafer ).
  3. ↑ a b Myosorex cafer in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: Cassola, F., 2016. Retrieved on January 27 of 2019.