Egyptian pygmy shrew
| Egyptian pygmy shrew | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Crocidura |
| Species: | C. religiosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Crocidura religiosa (I. Geoffroy, 1827) | |
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| Egyptian pygmy shrew range | |
The Egyptian pygmy shrew (Crocidura religiosa) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Egypt. Its natural habitat is arable land. It is threatened by habitat loss, partially caused by the construction of the Aswan Dam.[1] They are 48–62 mm in length, making them one of the smallest shrews in Egypt.[2] They weigh 7 grams.
Like most shrews, it is a nocturnal animal, hiding during day in burrows and crevices. Its diet is mostly insectivorous.It is a largely solitary and territorial species. Female pygmy shrews give birth to litters of one to ten hairless young with closed eyes. Their eyes opened at 13 days and they are weaned at 20 days. The young reach sexual maturity from two to three months and live for 12 to 18 months.[2]
The Egyptian pygmy shrew has grey fur, tinged with brown on the upperparts and tipped with white on the paler underparts.[3] The bristly tail is grey on top and white underneath and the feet are pale and almost hairless.[4] It has small eyes, a pointed snout[3] and a slightly flattened head which, along with its paler overall colour and proportionately longer tail, distinguishes this species from other shrews found in Egypt.[3][5]
The Egyptian pygmy shrew gained its scientific name, religiosa from the mummified specimens found in ancient Egyptian tombs in Thebes.[6] The species has often been confused with the Somali dwarf shrew (Crocidura nana)[6]
Sources
- ↑ "Crocidura religiosa". iucnredlist.org.
- 1 2 "Descriptions and articles about the Egyptian Pygmy Shrew (Crocidura religiosa) - Encyclopedia of Life". Encyclopedia of Life.
- 1 2 3 Helmy, I; Osborn, D (1980). "The contemporary land mammals of Egypt (including Sinai)". Fieldiana Zoology 5: 1–579.
- ↑ Nowak, R.M. (1999). Walker’s Mammals of the World. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
- ↑ Hoath, R (2003). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt. Egypt: American University Cairo Press.
- 1 2 Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Hutterer, R. 2004. Crocidura religiosa. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 30 July 2007.
| External identifiers for Egyptian pygmy shrew | |
|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Life | 1178859 |
| ITIS | 633669 |
| Also found in: Wikispecies | |