The jungle shrew (''Suncus zeylanicus'') is a species of
mammal in the family
Soricidae endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s. It is threatened by
habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
.
Description
Its head and body are long, with an tail. Its pelage is dark gray above, and lighter in the underparts. Hairs appear dark at the base and lighter at the tip. The tail is short and gray, sometimes with a white tip.
References
Mammals of Sri Lanka
Suncus
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Mammals described in 1928
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