Lesser white-toothed shrew

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Lesser white-toothed shrew
Crocidura suaveolens 12456867.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Soricidae
Genus: Crocidura
Species:
C. suaveolens
Binomial name
Crocidura suaveolens
(Pallas, 1811)
Lesser White-toothed Shrew area.png
Lesser white-toothed shrew range

The lesser white-toothed shrew [2] (Crocidura suaveolens) is a small species of shrew with a widespread distribution in Africa, Asia and Europe. [3] [4] Its preferred habitat is scrub and gardens and it feeds on insects, arachnids, worms, gastropods, newts and small rodents, though its diet usually varies according to the biotope where it lives. [5] The closely related Asian lesser white-toothed shrew ( Crocidura shantungensis ) was once included in this species, but is now considered to be a separate species.

Contents

Like the common shrew, a female lesser white-toothed shrew and her young may form a "caravan" when foraging for food or seeking a place of safety; each shrew grips the tail of the shrew in front so that the group stays together. [3]

Distribution and habitat

The lesser white-toothed shrew occurs widely from France and Portugal, in the west, across Europe and Asia to Japan and also in North Africa. It prefers dry ground, including scrub and gardens, and on the Isles of Scilly inhabits also shingle beaches and sand dunes. [3]

The populations in the Isles of Scilly and in the Channel Islands of Jersey and Sark off the French coast are isolated. [6] The lesser white-toothed shrew subspecies Crocidura suaveolens balearica lives on Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands. [5]

The Scilly shrew

The population found on the Isles of Scilly, off the south-west coast of England, was once thought to be a sub-species, Crocidura suaveolens cassiteridum, [3] and is known as the Scilly shrew. Skull and tooth measurements of individuals from Scilly are found to be intermediate in size of those in the Channel Islands and the darker fur of the Scilly specimens is not considered a valid reason for the naming of a sub-species. [4] It is unusual in that it can be found on the islands' beaches, [7] where it feeds almost exclusively on amphipods. [5] The Scillonian name for the animal is "teak" or "teke". [8]

Archaeological remains indicate that it was present on the islands in the bronze Age, so it may have been present before the Isles of Scilly became separated from the European continent, or may have migrated from the Channel Islands or Europe on board ships. [9] Although if shrews had survived through the last glaciation or the Younger Dryas, it would seem that northerly distributed species such as Sorex araneus would have been more likely to survive, rather than a southerly distributed species such as Crocidura suaveolens. [6]

In July 1924 W N Blair found an unknown species of shrew on Gugh and sent it to the mammal expert, Mr Hinton, at the British Museum. This specimen, held at the museum, is the type for the species. [10] Ten years earlier H N Robinson found an unknown rodent at Old Town St Mary's and sent it to Mr F W Smalley "who had the largest collection of rodents in the country". In 2010, a Scilly shrew made headlines on BBC Cornwall when it stowed away on the passenger ferry RMV Scillonian III. It was only discovered as the ship was about to arrive in Penzance. The shrew was flown back to the Isles of Scilly the next day on a Skybus plane and then released back into its natural environment. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrew</span> Family of 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-toothed shrew</span> Subfamily of mammals

The white-toothed shrews or Crocidurinae are one of three subfamilies of the shrew family Soricidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater white-toothed shrew</span> Species of mammal

The greater white-toothed shrew is a small insectivorous mammal found in Europe and North Africa. It is the most common of the white-toothed shrews. This species is found along the Mediterranean, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Germany and Portugal; in addition, the Osorio shrew of the Canary island of Gran Canaria, originally described as a separate species, was later discovered to be a population of introduced greater white-toothed shrew. Furthermore, a subspecies of the greater white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula ibicensis, is found on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza. In April 2008, the greater white-toothed shrew was discovered in Ireland as well. Its preferred habitats are grassland and woodland. It is slightly larger than the lesser white-toothed shrew but otherwise very similar and can often be distinguished only by close inspection of its teeth which are unpigmented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wimmer's shrew</span> Species of mammal

Wimmer's shrew is a white-toothed shrew found only in Côte d'Ivoire. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and a restricted range.

<i>Crocidura</i> Genus of mammals

The genus Crocidura is one of nine genera of the shrew subfamily Crocidurinae. Members of the genus are commonly called white-toothed shrews or musk shrews, although both also apply to all of the species in the subfamily. With over 180 species, Crocidura contains the most species of any mammal genus. The name Crocidura means "woolly tail", because the tail of Crocidura species are covered in short hairs interspersed with longer ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gugh</span> Tidal island of the isles of Scilly

Gugh could be described as the sixth inhabited island of the Isles of Scilly, but is usually included with St Agnes with which it is joined by a sandy tombolo known as "The Bar" when exposed at low tide. The island is only about 1 km (0.62 mi) long and about 0.5 km (0.31 mi) wide, with the highest point, Kittern Hill at 34 m (112 ft). The geology consists of Hercynian granite with shallow podzolic soils on the higher ground and deeper sandy soils on the lower ground. The former Gugh farm is just north of the neck across the middle of the island between the two hills. The two houses were designed and built in the 1920s by Charles Hamlet Cooper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dsinezumi shrew</span> Species of mammal

The Dsinezumi shrew, also known as the Japanese white-toothed shrew, is a species of musk shrew found in Japan and on Korea's Jeju Island. It is widespread, and considered to be of "least concern" by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyrenaica shrew</span> Species of mammal

The Cyrenaica shrew or Alexander's shrew is a species of white-toothed shrew in the family Soricidae which is endemic to Libya.

Güldenstädt's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the lesser white-toothed shrew, but more recent studies support it being a distinct species. It is named after Johann Anton Güldenstädt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cretan shrew</span> Species of mammal

The Cretan shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the island of Crete, Greece. Its natural habitat is temperate shrubland, and the animal is threatened by habitat loss. It is found in the mountainous highlands of Crete, having been displaced from lower altitudes by the lesser white-toothed shrew.

The Isles of Scilly are an archipelago 45 km (28 mi) off Land's End, Cornwall. Little of the fauna on, above or in the seas surrounding the isles was described prior to the 19th century, when birds and fish started to be described. Most records of other animals date from the 20th century onwards.

References

  1. ↑ Palomo, L.; Kryêtufek, B.; Amori, G.; Hutterer, R. (2016). "Crocidura suaveolens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T29656A22296429. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T29656A22296429.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 250. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Lesser white-toothed shrew". ARKive. Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  4. 1 2 Harris, S; Yalden, D. W. Mammals of the British Isles. The Mammal Society.
  5. 1 2 3 Antoni Alcover, J., ed. (1988). "Mamífers Actuals". els Mamífers de les Balears. Palma de Mallorca: Editorial Moll. pp. 82–84. ISBN   84-273-0265-7.
  6. 1 2 Yalden, D. (1999). The History of British Mammals. London: T & A D Poyser Ltd. ISBN   0-85661-110-7.
  7. ↑ Lord D (2009). In CISFBR (ed.). Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (2nd ed.). Praze-an-Beeble: Croceago Press. pp. 402–417. ISBN   978-1-901685-01-5.
  8. ↑ Robinson, H.W. (1925) A New British Animal Discovered in Scilly. Scillonian 4: 123-4
  9. ↑ "Scilly shrew". Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  10. ↑ Blair, W.N. (1926) Blair's White-toothed Shrew. Scillonian 5:164-5.
  11. ↑ Cornish ferry stowaway shrew flown home, 17 June 2010 (accessed 2011-08-16)
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