Malayan water shrew
| Malayan water shrew[1] | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Chimarrogale |
| Species: | C. hantu |
| Binomial name | |
| Chimarrogale hantu Harrison, 1958 | |
 | |
| Malayan water shrew range | |
The Malayan water shrew (Chimarrogale hantu), also known as the hantu water shrew, is a red-toothed shrew recorded only from the Malaysian state of Selangor. It was listed as a critically endangered, but is now considered near threatened.[2]
It gets its scientific name hantu from the Malay word for ghost.
Anatomy
The Malayan water shrew has a white underside, a black coat along its top and sides and a fringe of bristles running along the surface of the tail and on the paws which act as swimming aids. The teeth have red tips. The Malayan water shrew can grow up to about 10 cm in height and 20 cm in length.
Habitat
The Malayan water shrew lives in the Tropical Rainforests of Peninsula Malaysia. It lives mainly by fresh water lakes and rivers surrounded by vegetation and spends much of its time underwater. Underwater this shrew likes to stay in leafy areas to avoid predators and surprise its prey, which include fish, frogs and plants.
References
- ↑ Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- 1 2 Chiozza, F. (2008). "Chimarrogale hantu". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chimarrogale hantu. |
External links
- "Malayan Water Shrew (Chimarrogale hantu)". EDGE of Existence programme.
- Malayan water shrew (Chimarrogale hantu) media at ARKive