Sa Pa White-toothed Shrew

About this species

Size

Head and body 50–65mm; tail 37–47mm

Range

Northern Vietnam (Sa Pa)

Crocidura sapaensis is a species of white-toothed shrew native to northern Vietnam, first described in 2013 and named for Sa Pa, where it was discovered. It is very similar to the Hainan Island shrew and was recognised as a separate species only after molecular analysis, which showed it is more closely related to the Indochinese shrew (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is a small shrew with a relatively long tail. Head and body length is 50–65 mm and tail length 37–47 mm. The short fur is dark greyish-brown, and the tail is a similar colour but slightly paler underneath. The two similar species may have converged because they occupy similar ecological niches.

Description: Wildlife of Vietnam guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)