The Asian gray shrew (''Crocidura attenuata'') is a species of

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class (biology), class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in Female#Mammalian female, females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a ...

in the family Soricidae. It is found in

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountai ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, China,

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, Malaysia,

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

, Pakistan, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

. It is one of the commonest species within its range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of " least concern".

Description

The Asian gray shrew has a head-and-body length of between and a tail typically between 60% and 70% of this length. Its weight is in the range . The head and dorsal fur is dark greyish-black to smoky-brown and is a darker shade in the summer than in the winter. The underparts are dark grey and the tail dark brown above and mid-brown below.

Distribution and habitat

The Asian gray shrew is native to southeastern Asia. It is present in Cambodia, southeastern China, northern India, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, and possibly Indonesia. Its altitudinal range is from sea level up to about . It inhabits a wide range of habitat types, including lowland and montane rainforest, bamboo forest, scrubland, herbaceous vegetation, and secondary forest adjoining streams and rivers.

Ecology

Like other members of the shrew subfamily Crocurinae, the Asian gray shrew is mainly insectivorous. it is a terrestrial species and active by day and by night. Its natural history has been little studied, but females carrying litters of four and five have been observed.

Status

The Asian gray shrew is in many parts of its range the most abundant species of shrew. No specific threats have been identified, but in some places, it is affected by habitat destruction and introduced predators. It is present in several protected areas and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of " least concern".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3594363 Crocidura Mammals of Asia Mammals of Southeast Asia Mammals of Bhutan Mammals of China Mammals of India Mammals of Cambodia Mammals of Malaysia Mammals of Myanmar Mammals of Nepal Mammals of Pakistan Mammals of Laos Mammals of Thailand Mammals of Vietnam Mammals of the Philippines Least concern biota of Asia Mammals described in 1872 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot