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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Shrews

Family Soricidae


Hedgehogs, moonrats, shrews, moles, etc used to be grouped under Order Insectivora, which has now been renamed as Eulipotyphla. Some go further to split the hedgehogs and moonrats out into a separate order.

There are 2 shrew species in Singapore - the House Shrew (Suncus murinus) and the Southeast Asian White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura fuliginosa).

The House Shrew (Suncus murinus), or Asian House Shrew, is a common urban mammal, but is rarely seen due to their nocturnal behaviour. Sometimes their dead bodies can be found lying around, probably having been killed by feral cats.


House Shrew at Punggol Park ©Tan KH

The Southeast Asian White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura fuliginosa), however, is a rare forest shrew. It is also called simply Southeast Asian Shrew.

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