Stubby-tailed shrews
| Stubby-tailed shrews | ||||||||||||
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Anourosorex yamashinai |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Anourosorex | ||||||||||||
| Milne-Edwards , 1870 |
The stubby tail shrews ( Anourosorex ) are a living in East and Southeast Asia genus of the family of shrews (Soricidae). They are the only genus of shrews that are fully adapted to an underground way of life.
features
The name-giving feature of this species of shrew is the short, only 7 to 17 millimeters long tail. The length of the head body is about 50 to 110 millimeters, depending on the species. The soft, dense fur is colored gray on the upper side, the underside is lighter. The ears are hidden in the fur, the eyes are tiny and the muzzle elongated. The broad, hairless feet end in long claws.
Skull features
| 1 | · | 2 | · | 1 | · | 3 | = 26 |
| 1 | · | 1 | · | 1 | · | 3 |
All species of the genus have a maxillary per half incisors (incisive), two canines (Canini), a Vorbackenzahn (premolar) and three molars (molars). In the lower jaw, they have only one canine tooth in each half. The animals have a total of 26 teeth. The third molars are reduced in both the upper and lower jaw.
distribution and habitat
Colobus-tailed shrews live in central and southern China , Taiwan , Assam and the northern regions of Myanmar , Thailand and Vietnam . Their habitat are mountainous areas between 1500 and 3100 meters above sea level.
Way of life
These shrews lead a largely subterranean way of life, which earned them the common English name "Mole Shrews". They dig burrows and rummage through the earth or fallen leaves with their long snouts in search of food. They feed on insects , their larvae and earthworms .
Systematics
In the past, all animals were combined into one species, Anourosorex squamipes . More recent classifications differentiate between four types:
literature
- 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 .
- 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 .
supporting documents
- ^ A b Robert S. Hoffmann, Darrin Lunde: Genus Anourosorex - Mole Shrews. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 304.
Web links
- Anourosorex squamipes in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Insectivore Specialist Group, 1996. Accessed on 09/01/2007.