Jungle Shrew

About this species

Size

10-12cm head and body, tail 8-9cm

Habitat

Lowland wet-zone rainforest

Range

Endemic to Sri Lanka: Central, Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces, 150-1,000m

The jungle shrew is endemic to Sri Lanka, with confirmed populations in the Central, Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces at about 150 to 1,000 m. It is dark grey above with lighter underparts, 10 to 12 cm in head and body with an 8 to 9 cm tail that sometimes has a white tip. It is nocturnal, crepuscular and terrestrial and feeds on insects (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is tied to lowland wet-zone rainforest and avoids abandoned land and plantation woodland. Recent surveys of over 2,000 trap-nights found very few animals, with a single specimen confirmed from Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Wikipedia, general species account). Nationally Data Deficient (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).

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