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Kilimanjaro White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura monax

French: Crocidure moine / German: Kilimandscharo-Weif 3zahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana del Kilimanjaro

Other common names: Kilimanjaro Shrew, Rombo Shrew

Taxonomy. Crocidura monax Thomas, 1910,

“ Rombo ... at an altitude on the mountain of about 6000’ [= 1829 m],” Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Included in a clade along with C. tansaniana, C. usambarae, C. mdumai, C. munissu, C. newmarki, C. fumosa, and probably C. montis (from which C. mdumaz, C. munissu, and C. newmarki were only recently split as distinct species). This species seems to be closest to C. newmarki. Monotypic.

Distribution. Mt Kilimanjaro and North Pare Mts in NE Tanzania.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 83-101 mm, tail 55-71 mm, ear 10-12 mm, hindfoot 16-19 mm; weight 9-2-17 g. The Kilimanjaro White-toothed Shrew is a large species with relatively long hair. Dorsal pelage is rich brown, the individual hairssteel gray basally and brown-tipped; ventral pelage similarly colored butslightly paler, with hairs pale brown at tip. Ears are short but prominent. Feet are slightly paler than dorsum; claws longer on the hindfeet than on the forefeet. Tail is relatively long (67-70% of head-body length), bicolored, being very dark above and paler below, and relatively hairy, with longer bristle hairs throughout. There are three unicuspids.

Habitat. Montane forests at elevations of 1500-3000 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Kilimanjaro White-toothed Shrews are terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Kilimanjaro White-toothed Shrew is very common where it occurs, but it has a very scattered and small distribution.

Bibliography. Dando & Kennerley (2017), Stanley (2013d), Stanley et al. (2015).