West African pygmy shrew | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Eulipotyphla |
Family: | Soricidae |
Genus: | Crocidura |
Species: | C. obscurior |
Binomial name | |
Crocidura obscurior Balsac, 1958 | |
West African pygmy shrew range |
The West African pygmy shrew or obscure white-toothed shrew (Crocidura obscurior) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. [2]
The Ivory Coast white-toothed shrew (C. eburnea), which is sympatric with C. obscurior in Ivory Coast, Liberia & Guinea, and closely resembles it aside from having a longer skull, was considered conspecific with C. obscurior until a 2014 study delineated both as being genetically distinct sister species to one another. [3]
The white-toothed shrews or Crocidurinae are one of three subfamilies of the shrew family Soricidae.
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.
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.
Buettikofer's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in southern Nigeria and scantly present in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Crosse's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Dent's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and moist savanna.
Doucet's musk shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Liberia, and possibly Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
Crocidura grandiceps is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Togo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture and aquaculture as well as logging and wood harvesting. To increase habitat protection for the C. grandiceps, in-place land/water protection conservation actions are in place. The vernacular name large-headed shrew is sometimes applied to C. grandiceps but has also been used for the entire related genus Paracrocidura. The IUCN List categorizes the C. grandiceps as Near Threatened as of 2008.
Lamotte's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Its natural habitat is savanna.
The West African long-tailed shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It can be found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The Nimba shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Fraser's musk shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. This large black shrew was first described by the British zoologist Louis Fraser in 1843. Its exact definition is unclear; the karyotype comes from Ivory Coast but not from Equatorial Guinea, which is given as the type locality.
Therese's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and moist savanna.
The Ivory Coast white-toothed shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is native to the Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Guinea.
The Fingui white-toothed shrew or Principe white-toothed shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the island of Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe.
The Mount Nimba giant forest shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is native to West Africa, where it is found in Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.