Shrew Identification (Spain)
Last July, I photographed the following Shrew in my hotel room in Sallent de Gallego, Spain (1305 meters elevation, just across the border from Lac d’Ayous). Does anyone have thoughts on the identification? My impression was that it was significantly larger than the shrews I see in the US, but that might be because it was in the open rather than rustling through leaf litter.
Best,
Ben
www.tremarctos.com
3 Comments
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JMichel Bompar
Hi Ben, At the moment, “our” spanish Shrew is Crossidura russula (tail nearly 50% of head+body lenght + contact into the usual range). Because there are currently a lot of genetic studies and splitings of this group, what is true today could be wrong tomorrow and the name of this animal may change in a nest future.
Best
J-Michel -
Manuel Ruedi
Dear Ben,
This is indeed Crocidura russula, a common shrew that is often seen in anthropogenic places, and survives in altitude also thanks to human leftovers found around farms and habitations.
The slightly smaller, but morphologically nearly identical C. suaveolens apparently does not occur about 1000 m a.s.l.
The splits mentionned by Jean-Michel probably concern other Mediterranean populations (insulr, Tunisian, etc.), but I am not aware of taxonomic problems in continental Europe.
Best.
Manuel
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Mourad Ahmim
It is probably Crocidura russula