Voracious shrew

Crocidura vorax

Crocidura vorax is a shrew from the kind of white tooth shrew ( Crocidura ). It comes in the central to southern China as well as in the adjoining northeast India, Thailand, Laos and North Vietnam before.

Features

With a head-body length of 5.4 to 9 centimeters Crocidura vorax one of the medium sized shrews of Eurasia. The tail reaches a length of 41-51 millimeters. The hind foot has a length of 11 to 14 millimeters. In its appearance corresponds to the type Crocidura rapax, but it is slightly larger and the back coat is much lighter brown with a gray band on the back, the belly is lighter gray. The tail is slightly two-tone brown.

The skull has a base length of about 18.8 millimeters. Like all species of the genus has the kind in the maxilla per half an incisor ( incisor ) and then three unicuspid teeth, one premolar and three molars. In the mandible, it has, however, a single canine ( canine ) behind the incisor. Overall, the animals thus have a set of teeth from 28 teeth. The roots are not pigmented white, as in all tooth shrews in contrast to those of the Rotzahnspitzmäuse.

Dissemination

Crocidura vorax occurs in the central to southern China as well as in the adjoining northeast India, Thailand, Laos and North Vietnam. Probably there are also deposits in Myanmar, it is but so far in the country undocumented.

Way of life

The life of Crocidura vorax is largely unexplored as with many shrews, here are virtually no data. It is in China probably a Hochlandart, the type was discovered in a mountain forest on the Ssu Shan in 4000 meters and in Laos, an individual in the evergreen rain forest at Ban Taong and another in the lowlands was captured at altitudes of 200 to 300 meters. Probably, the type corresponding to live in different habitats, but their ability to adapt to habitat changes is not known. Like all shrews feed on this species of invertebrates, especially insects and worms.

System

Crocidura vorax is classified as a separate species within the genus of white tooth shrew ( Crocidura ), which consists of about 170 species. The first scientific description comes from G. Allen from 1923, which described an individual from the surrounding area of Lijiang in Yunnan Province in the south of the People's Republic of China. Crocidura vorax was formerly classified together with other species such as Crocidura rapax in the species Crocidura gueldenstaedtii, Crocidura russula or Crocidura pullata.

Within the species are no further sub- types in addition to the nominate Crocidura vorax vorax be distinguished.

Threat and protection

Crocidura vorax is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) due to the large distribution area, the large populations and the unknown threat to the existence as not at risk ( least concern ). If the kind of undisturbed forests depend, they can be affected locally by wood use, deforestation and conversion of forest land into agricultural land and settlement areas.