Scutisorex

Scutisorex
	Hero shrew specimen and partial skeleton at the University of Zurich Zoological Museum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Soricidae
Subfamily:	Crocidurinae
Genus:	Scutisorex ; Thomas, 1913
Type species
	Sylvisorex somereni ; (Thomas, 1910)
Species
	See text

Last updated December 06, 2024

Scutisorex is a genus of African shrews, mammals of the family Soricidae.^[1] Members of the genus are the only known mammal species whose vertebrae interlock, a feature which, along with the general enlargement and strengthening of the backbone and ribs, allows them to bear remarkable loads.^[2] They also have well-developed muscles for flexing their spine in the sagittal plane.^[3] It is thought that these adaptations allow the shrews to wedge open spaces between the trunks of palm trees and the stems of dead leaves, as well underneath logs and rocks, allowing them to partake of a reliable source of insect larvae and earthworms that would otherwise be inaccessible.^[3]

The genus contains the following species:^[1]

Hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni) - (Thomas, 1910)
Thor's hero shrew (Scutisorex thori) - Stanley, Malekani & Gambalemoke in Stanley et al., 2013

Analysis of DNA sequences of several genes (mitochondrial cytochrome b and nuclear von Willebrand factor) suggests that the two species of Scutisorex split about 4 Ma ago, and that Scutisorex diverged from other crocidurine shrews about 14 Ma ago.^[3]

Related Research Articles

Elephant shrews, also called jumping shrews or sengis, are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea. Their traditional common English name "elephant shrew" comes from a perceived resemblance between their long noses and the trunk of an elephant, and their superficial similarity with shrews in the order Eulipotyphla. However, phylogenetic analysis has revealed that elephant shrews are not properly classified with true shrews, but are in fact more closely related to elephants than to shrews. In 1997, the biologist Jonathan Kingdon proposed that they instead be called "sengis", a term derived from the Bantu languages of Africa, and in 1998, they were classified into the new clade Afrotheria.

The hero shrew, also known as the armored shrew, is a large shrew native to the Congo Basin of Africa. Its features are typical of a white-toothed shrew − short legs, slender snout, dense fur − except for a highly unusual spinal column. It has corrugated interlocking vertebrae that are unique among mammals except for its sister species, Thor's hero shrew. This unique adaptation allows the animal to bear a huge amount of weight on its back − 72 kg (159 lb) according to an expedition team.

Thor's hero shrew is an extant species of shrew native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It and its sister species, the hero shrew, are the only mammal species known to have interlocking vertebrae.

William T. Stanley was an American mammalogist who was a manager of the collections at one of the world's largest natural history museums and a student of the mammals of eastern Africa. He was an evolutionary biologist and mammalogist, and at the time of his death was the director of the Field Museum of Natural History's Collections Center and the Collection Manager of the Field Museum's Collection of Mammals. Stanley studied the biogeography, ecology, evolution, and systematics of shrews, bats and rodents that live on mountains within Tanzania and surrounding countries.

References

1 2 Hutterer, R. (2005). "Genus Scutisorex". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
↑ Richard Johnston (July 24, 2013). "Shrew has a spine of godly strength". Nature. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
1 2 3 Stanley, W. T.; Robbins, L. W.; Malekani, J. M.; Mbalitini, S. G.; Migurimu, D. A.; Mukinzi, J. C.; Hulselmans, J.; Prevot, V.; Verheyen, E.; Hutterer, R.; Doty, J. B.; Monroe, B. P.; Nakazawa, Y. J.; Braden, Z.; Carroll, D.; Kerbis Peterhans, J. C.; Bates, J. M.; Esselstyn, J. A. (2013-07-24). "A new hero emerges: another exceptional mammalian spine and its potential adaptive significance". Biology Letters. 9 (5): 20130486. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0486. ISSN 1744-9561. PMC 3971687 . PMID 23883579.

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[MSW3-1] 1 2 Hutterer, R. (2005). "Genus Scutisorex". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.

[Nature-2] Richard Johnston (July 24, 2013). "Shrew has a spine of godly strength". Nature. Retrieved July 24, 2013.

[StanleyRobbins2013-3] 1 2 3 Stanley, W. T.; Robbins, L. W.; Malekani, J. M.; Mbalitini, S. G.; Migurimu, D. A.; Mukinzi, J. C.; Hulselmans, J.; Prevot, V.; Verheyen, E.; Hutterer, R.; Doty, J. B.; Monroe, B. P.; Nakazawa, Y. J.; Braden, Z.; Carroll, D.; Kerbis Peterhans, J. C.; Bates, J. M.; Esselstyn, J. A. (2013-07-24). "A new hero emerges: another exceptional mammalian spine and its potential adaptive significance". Biology Letters. 9 (5): 20130486. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0486. ISSN 1744-9561. PMC 3971687 . PMID 23883579.

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