south through East Africa to Zimbabwe. In Egypt, recorded only from the southernmost part of the Delta south to Cairo (1 record).
Dwarf Shrew (Crocidura nana)
Habitat: Similar to other shrews. Recorded from moist farmland, canal banks, etc.
Habits: Unknown. Presumably similar to other shrews. Nest reportedly built of twigs and cotton bolls.
Notes: A further species, Crocidura religiosa, has been described from ancient Egyptian mummies (the Dwarf Shrew itself is known from mummified remains from Thebes). However, many authors reject this species and, unless a living specimen is found, it cannot be distinguished in the field and can only be identified from skeletal characteristics; thus, it has not been included. Bonhote (1909) claimed to have obtained one live specimen of C. religiosa at Abu Rawash, but provided no details.
Similar species: Other small shrews. For Flower’s Shrew, see previous species. From Lesser White-toothed Shrew told by proportionately longer tail and paler, grayer color above. Species’ known distributions in Egypt do not remotely overlap. Distinguished from Savi's Pygmy Shrew by larger size and proportionately longer tail.
LESSER WHITE-TOOTHED SHREW Crocidura suaveolens (Pallas, 1811)
Pl. 2
Subspecies occurring in Egypt: C. s. portali and C. s. matruhensis.
Identification: Length 80–112mm;Tail 25–40mm;Weight 3.5g. Small shrew with proportionately short tail. Upper parts brown to brownish gray, underparts whitish with no sharp demarcation along flanks. Feet whitish. Head with broad snout narrowing quickly to elongated proboscis. Ears rather small but distinct, standing out from fur. Eyes typically small. Tail same color as upper parts, indistinctly paler below. Bristles extend entire length of tail. Has a distinct musky odor.
Lesser White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura suaveolens)
Range and status: Very wide range over much of southern Europe, west to Scilly Isles and north to northern Poland, east throughout Asia from Middle East to China, Korea to Japan. Isolated records from Arabia. In Egypt, very few records. C. s. portali recorded from South Sinai west of St. Katherine’s Monastery, and from near Suez. C. s. matruhensis is known from only a few specimens taken west of Mersa Matruh. Despite the paucity of Egyptian records, the wide range of this species elsewhere may mean that it could turn up in areas in Egypt other than those in which it has so far been recorded.
Habitat: In Sinai, taken from 1,500m inside a small monastery west of St. Katherine. On the north coast, taken from Fat Sand Rat burrows in salty depressions near coast. Elsewhere, recorded from a wide range of habitats including woodland, gardens, marshlands, rocky hill slopes, vegetated dunes, and coastal plains.
Habits: Unknown in Egypt. Elsewhere, little known in wild but probably much like other shrews. Active throughout day and night though with peak in evening. Does not excavate a burrow but lives in cavities or crevices or in thick tangles of vegetation. Diet consists of insects, snails, worms, and other invertebrates. Gestation 24–32 days. Litter size 1–7. Once mobile, young follow female around by caravaning, where first of litter grabs mother by the rump, the second grabs the first, etc., forming a train.
Note: Certain authors reorganize C. s. matruhensis as a separate species, C. whitakeri.
Similar species: Other small shrews. For Flower’s Shrew and Dwarf Shrew, see those species. Much smaller than House Shrew. Much larger than Savi’s Pygmy Shrew with relatively smaller ears.
HOUSE SHREW Suncus murinus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Pl. 2
Subspecies occurring in Egypt: tentatively 5. m. sacer.
Identification: Length 155–240mm; Tail 50–85mm. A large, robust shrew with a proportionately rather short tail. Coat short. Upper parts brown, hairs gray at base, underparts grayish white with indistinct demarcation. Feet white. Head large with relalively small, rounded ears that still project beyond fur. Tail about one half of head and body length. Very thick at base narrowing toward tip. Brown with silvery bristles along entire length.
House Shrew (Suncus murinus)
Range and status: Largely Asiatic, from New Guinea west through Southeast Asia to India and Sri Lanka and north to Taiwan and Japan. Outside this range also in isolated populations at seaports throughout Arabia to Egypt and Sudan. In Egypt there is one (two according to Wassif and Hoogstral [1953]) record of the species at Suez. This was almost certainly ship-borne and there is no evidence that the House Shrew has established a viable population at the port.
Habitat: The House Shrew appears to be a commensal, at least in the Arabian region, found in houses, warehouses, and other buildings. Also recorded from garbage heaps, gardens, and walls.
Habits: Unknown in Egypt. Probably as other shrews but much more tied to humans. Elsewhere, reported to be largely nocturnal and noisy. Recorded from Barn Owl pellets.
Similar species: In Egypt, only the Greater Musk Shrew is as large. House Shrew can be distinguished by proportionately shorter tail with much thicker stock and silvery bristles along entire length. Range and habitat different.
SAVI’S PYGMY SHREW (PYGMY WHITE-TOOTHED SHREW, COMMON DWARF SHREW, SAVI’S DWARF SHREW, ETRUSCAN SHREW) Suncus etruscus (Savi, 1822)
Pl. 2
Savi’s Pygmy Shrew (Suncus etruscus)
Single Egyptian specimen probably S. e. etruscus.
Identification: Length 62–81mm; Tail 21–32mm; Weight 1.5–2.0g. A tiny shrew, one of the smallest mammals in the world, with relatively large ears. Upper parts gray-brown with reddish tinge, long hairs interspersed in short dense coat. Underparts grayish, hairs gray, tipped white, with indistinct demarcation. Feet whitish. Ears large and stand well clear of fur. Tail narrow, over half head and body length, brown above, paler below, and scattered with bristles along entire length.
Range and status: Much of southern Europe, including the Canary Isles, from Iberia east to Turkey and on to Iraq, Iran, India to China and parts of Southeast Asia to Borneo. Also North Africa south to Ethiopia and Madagascar. In Egypt, known only from one specimen in the Paris Museum taken in the Delta. It is not known whether this shrew is just very rare, possibly extinct, or whether it is so small it is overlooked. Apparently it is too small to be caught in
