The Taita shrew (''Suncus aequatorius'') is an extant

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of white-toothed shrew from two localities in the

Taita Hills The Taita Hills, sometimes also spelled as Teita Hills, are a mountain range located in the Taita-Taveta County in south-eastern Kenya. The hills consist of three massifs: Dawida Massif, Dawida, Sagalla Massif, Sagalla in the southern side of Vo ...

mountain range in the

Taita-Taveta District Taita-Taveta District (formerly Taita District) was a district of Kenya, located in the Coast Province of the country. It lies approximately 200 km northwest of Mombasa city and 360 km southeast of Nairobi city. The district was created by the c ...

of southwestern

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. Given the continuing decline in the quality of this

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

, and the limitations in its range, the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

recognises the shrew as an

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

species.

References

*Aggundey, I. R. and Schlitter, D. A. (1986). Annotated checklist of the mammals of Kenya. II. Insectivora and Macroscelidea. ''Annals of Carnegie Museum'' 55: 325-347. *Heim de Balsac, H. and Meester, J. (1977). Order Insectivora. In: J. Meester and H. W. Setzer (eds), ''The Mammals of Africa: An Identification Manual'', pp. 1–29. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. C., USA. *Oguge, N., Hutterer, R. Odhiambo, R. and Verheyen, W. (2004). Diversity and structure of shrew communities in montane forests of southeast Kenya. ''Mammalian Biology'' 69: 289-301. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1761290 Suncus Endemic fauna of Kenya Mammals of Kenya Mammals described in 1912 Taxa named by Edmund Heller

References

Further reading