| Iberian shrew | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Sorex |
| Species: | S. granarius |
| Binomial name | |
| Sorex granarius Miller, 1910 | |
 | |
| Iberian shrew range[ image reference needed ] | |
The Iberian shrew or Lagranja shrew (Sorex granarius) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Portugal and Spain.
Relative to other Sorex species, S. granarius is intermediate in size, with a total body length (including the tail) of approximately 103.6 mm and an average weight of 6.3 g. [2] Adults are identified by their dark-colored back, which contrasts with their lighter tan sides and off-white belly. [2] The fur of young shrews has only two discernible colors: the darker color on the back and the lighter color on the belly. [2] In both adults and juveniles, the fur is also adapted for cold, damp habitats: each guard hair possesses an indentation along its length that helps to prevent water from reaching the body. [2]
The skull of S. granarius can be used to distinguish it from other species belonging to the European Sorex araneus group of shrews. [2] Comparatively, the snout of S. granarius is small and flat, the mandible possesses a diminished coronoid process and a narrow angular process, and the temporal fossa of the skull resembles a triangle. [2]
The Sorex araneus group of European shrews consists of S. araneus, S. coronatus, and S. granarius, with all members belonging to the order Soricomorpha and the family Soricidae. [2] Because their morphology is virtually identical, species definitions rely primarily on genetic differences. [3] [4] The phylogenetic positioning of S. granarius has been historically difficult even with the use of genetic analyses, with mitochondrial DNA suggesting that it is more closely related to S. araneus and Y sex chromosomal markers implying a stronger relationship with S. coronatus. [3] Recent studies of X sex chromosomal markers and autosomal chromosome DNA have been found to offer greater support for the phylogenetic grouping of S. granarius with S. coronatus, [5] as opposed to the traditional grouping of S. granarius and S. araneus. [2]
The distribution of S. granarius is lateral through the Central System mountain range of the Iberian Peninsula and reaches Galicia, Spain in the north and the Tagus (Tejo) River in the south. [2] There is also speculation of S. granarius cohabitation with S. coronatus in the Iberian System. [4] In the wild, S. granarius is known to live in woody areas consisting of juniper (Juniperus nana), [4] beech (Fagus sylvatica), Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), evergreen oak (Quercus rotundifolia), ash (Fraxinus), or birch (Betula) at 500 to 2000 meter elevations. [2]
Domestic cats (Felis catus), European wild cats (Felis silvestris), and barn owls (Tyto alba) have been noted to prey upon S. granarius [2] .
In the group of Sorex araneus shrews, males possess distinctive XY1Y2 sex chromosomes. [2] [3] [6] The Y chromosome comprises two portions: the original Y sex chromosome (Y1) and a portion that forms an arm of one of the autosomal chromosomes (Y2). [6] S. granarius is unique among this group because it possesses primarily acrocentric chromosomes with only two pairs of metacentric chromosomes, whereas S. araneus has a complete set of metacentric chromosomes. [6]
The telomere length and location of S. granarius further distinguish the organism from S. araneus: S. araneus possesses small telomeres on each chromosome that range in size from 6.8 to 15.2 kb. [7] The telomeres of S. granarius are located only on the short arms of the acrocentric chromosomes, and can reach lengths of approximately 300 kb, making them the largest mammalian telomeres described to date. [5] These mega-telomeres appear to preserve their impressive length through both the enzyme telomerase and active homologous recombination. [7] Additionally, the intermittent repetitive sequences of S. granarius telomeres are infused with ribosomal DNA, and it is the only known Eutherian mammal with this feature. [7]
The order Insectivora is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the class of mammals. Some species have now been moved out, leaving the remaining ones in the order Eulipotyphla within the larger clade Laurasiatheria, which makes up one of the basal clades of placental mammals.
Shrews are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different families or orders.
Eulipotyphla is an order of mammals suggested by molecular methods of phylogenetic reconstruction, which includes the laurasiatherian members of the now-invalid polyphyletic order Lipotyphla, but not the afrotherian members.
The red-toothed shrews of the subfamily Soricinae are one of three living subfamilies of shrews, along with Crocidurinae and Myosoricinae. In addition, the family contains the extinct subfamilies Limnoecinae, Crocidosoricinae, Allosoricinae and Heterosoricinae. These species are typically found in North America, northern South America, Europe and northern Asia. The enamel of the tips of their teeth is reddish due to iron pigment. The iron deposits serve to harden the enamel and are concentrated in those parts of the teeth most subject to wear.
Lipotyphla is a formerly used order of mammals, including the members of the order Eulipotyphla as well as three other families of the former order Insectivora, Chrysochloridae, Tenrecidae (tenrecs), and Potamogalidae. However, molecular studies found the golden moles, tenrecs, and otter shrews to be unrelated to the others. This made Lipotyphla an invalid polyphyletic order and gave rise to the notion of Eulipotyphla instead, an exclusively laurasiathere grouping.
The genus Sorex includes many of the common shrews of Eurasia and North America, and contains at least 142 known species and subspecies. Members of this genus, known as long-tailed shrews, are the only members of the tribe Soricini of the subfamily Soricinae. They have 32 teeth.
The common shrew, also known as the Eurasian shrew, is the most common shrew, and one of the most common mammals, throughout Northern Europe, including Great Britain, but excluding Ireland. It is 55 to 82 millimetres long and weighs 5 to 12 grams, and has velvety dark brown fur with a pale underside. It is one of the rare venomous mammals. Juvenile shrews have lighter fur until their first moult. The common shrew has small eyes, a pointed, mobile snout and red-tipped teeth. It has a life span of approximately 14 months.
The Sunda shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae found in Indonesia and Malaysia.
The alpine shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in the alpine meadows and coniferous forests of central and southern European mountain ranges.
The crowned shrew or Millet's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the British island of Jersey. It is almost indistinguishable from the common shrew; its habits and habitats are identical. However it has a different karyotype, is slightly smaller, and has small morphological differences, such as a longer rostrum relative to length of skull.
The montane shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae commonly known as the dusky shrew. Monticolus is derived from the Latin root word mons meaning mountain. It is found in Alaska, western Canada, the western United States in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, and California, as well as in Mexico.
The Sado shrew is a subspecies of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Japan, and more specifically, the Japanese island of Sado. Although it is sometimes referred to as its own species, more recent scholarship identifies it as a subspecies of the Shinto shrew. However, there are significant morphological differences between the species.
The Shinto shrew is a species of shrew of the genus Sorex that lives only on the islands of Japan. It is a mole-like mammal with a pointed snout, very small ears, and a relatively long tail. Like most shrews, it is tiny, has poor eyesight, and a very good sense of hearing and smell which it uses to locate its prey, mainly insects.
The Inyo shrew is a species of shrew found in the western United States. It is light gray and white in color, with a narrow skull and small body size, very similar in appearance to the related dwarf shrew, but paler and not as large. It can be found in many different habitats, from rocky, mountainous regions to wetlands and riparian areas. Not much is known about its behavioral and reproductive habits. While barely studied, their population is believed to be stable and not under any threat.
Asoriculus is an extinct genus of terrestrial shrews in the subfamily Soricinae and tribe Nectogalini, native to Europe and North Africa. The best known species, Asoriculus gibberodon, was widespread in Europe from the Late Miocene to the Early Pleistocene. The youngest records of the species date to the end of the Early Pleistocene approximately 846,000 ± 57,000 years ago in the Iberian Peninsula. Another larger species, A. thenii, is sometimes also recognised in the Early Pleistocene of Europe. The species Asoriculus maghrebiensis is known from the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary of Morocco in North Africa, making it the only known member of Soricinae to have been native to the African continent. Insular species are known from the Mediterranean islands of Sicily, and Corsica-Sardinia including A. corsicanus and A. similis. A. similis likely survived into the Holocene, when it became extinct sometime after human settlement of the islands, with remains apparently being found in Mesolithic and Neolithic aged archaeological sites.
The Valais shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae.
The 2000s witnessed an explosion of genome sequencing and mapping in evolutionarily diverse species. While full genome sequencing of mammals is rapidly progressing, the ability to assemble and align orthologous whole chromosomal regions from more than a few species is not yet possible. The intense focus on the building of comparative maps for domestic, laboratory and agricultural (cattle) animals has traditionally been used to understand the underlying basis of disease-related and healthy phenotypes.
Sorex araneus polyomavirus 1, formerly known as Human polyomavirus 12 (HPyV12), is a virus of the polyomavirus family that was first identified in human hosts and also infects shrews. It was discovered and reported in 2013 after isolation from the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, particularly the liver. The virus was renamed to Sorex araneus polyomavirus 1 in 2018, after discovery of the same virus in shrews. Infecting multiple hosts is rare among mammalian polyomaviruses.
Sonnerat's shrew is a species of shrew that was first described by Pierre Sonnerat from Pondicherry somewhere in 1813.
