The Kamchatka shrew (''Sorex camtschatica'') is a species of

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

in the family Soricidae. It is

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 elsew ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Classification

The species was first described in 1972. Before that it was considered a subspecies of cinereus shrew (''Sorex cinereus'').Yudin, pp. 137–140

Range

Kamchatka shrew inhabits riparian scrubs in North-Eastern Siberia, in the upper reaches of the river Omolon (its tributary Kegan), and in Kamchatka (Kambalny Bay, Lake Azhabachye, neighborhood of Milkovo).

Appearance

The body length reaches , with an average of . The tail is about 79% of the body length and can be long. The average weight of an adult is .Yudin, p. 129 The back is ashy-gray, sides are lighter, with brown tones. The belly is light gray. This species is characterized by the highly elongated rear feet with well-defined bristle brush hair.

Life events

Biology of the species is poorly understood. The breeding season lasts from April to September. Females annually produce up to three litters with 5.1 cubs per liter on average.

References

Bibliography

* Sorex Mammals of Russia Endemic fauna of Russia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{redtoothed-shrew-stub