| Desert musk shrew | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Crocidura |
| Species: | C. smithii |
| Binomial name | |
| Crocidura smithii Thomas, 1895 | |
 | |
| Desert musk shrew range | |
| Synonyms | |
C. debalsaci | |
Thedesert musk shrew (Crocidura smithii) is a species ofmammal in the familySoricidae. It is found inEthiopia,Senegal, and possiblySomalia. Its naturalhabitat is drysavanna.[1] First described in 1895 byOldfield Thomas, it was named after the 19th-century American explorer of Eastern Africa,Arthur Donaldson Smith, who collected the type specimen.[2][3]
C. smithii is found in two distinct populations in Senegal and Ethiopia, on opposite ends of the continent.[3] The Senegalese population was identified in 1981 by Rainer Hutterer, who originally described it as the subspeciesCrocidura smithii debalascai based on its larger size than the Ethiopian population.[4][3]C. s. debalascai is now considered a synonym ofC. smithii.[3] A specimen from Somalia, reported byHenri Heim de Balsac in 1966, is now considered to beCrocidura macarthuri, butC. smithii may occur in Somalia since there exists similar habitat in the country to that known to be inhabited by this species.[1][3] Due to the distance between the Ethiopian and Senegalese populations, Hutterer has argued that they represent different species.[3]
It is listed as aspecies of least concern by theIUCN due to the wide distribution, lack of threats to its habitat, and an assumed large population, but there is very limited information on its habitat and population size.[1][3]
C. smithii is a small to medium sized shrew (whole body length between 64 millimetres (2.5 in) and 85 millimetres (3.3 in)) with a white tail slightly over half its body length. It has slate-grey to pale yellowish-brown fur on the back of the body, with a white underbelly which reaches almost to the tops of the ears and cheeks. The feet are also white, with short hind limbs. The ears are short and hairless.[3][5] Thomas described it as having a "curiously youthful" appearance even as an adult.[5]
