KC Rowe / BRIN
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Crocidura caudipilosa, one of the shrew species found in Sulawesi.
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Nationalgeographic.co.id—Late last year researchers made a major discovery in the animal kingdom, namely 14 new species celurut. This is the largest number of new mammals described at once in a scientific paper since 1931.
After a decade-long journey to inventory the Indonesian shrew living on the island Sulawesi, a group of scientists led by Jake Esselstyn, a Louisiana State University (LSU) mammologist, has identified 14 new endemic shrew species. A shrew is a small insect-eating animal that looks like a mouse.rat small.
These findings have been detailed in a paper titled “Fourteen New, Endemic Species of Shrew (Genus Crocidura) from Sulawesi Reveal a Spectacular Island Radiation,” in the journal Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
“This is an exciting, but sometimes frustrating find,” said Esselstyn, curator of mammals at the Museum of Natural Sciences and professor in LSU’s Department of Biological Sciences.
“Usually, we find one new species at a time, and there’s a huge sensation that comes from it. But in this case, it was extraordinary because for the first few years, we couldn’t figure out how many species there were.”
A clearer picture began to emerge after the research team examined the extensive collection of genetic and morphological data from new specimens they collected between 2010 and 2018. Then there was data on older specimens collected in 1916.
In total, the research team examined nearly 1,400 specimens. They then identified 21 species of shrews in Sulawesi, including 14 new species.
The fourteen new shrew species were given scientific names Crocidura microelongata, C. quasielongata, C. pseudorhoditis, C. australis, C. pallida, C. baletei, C. average, C. small, C. dark, C. brevicauda, C. caudicrassa, C. normal, C. ordinary , and C. usual. The seven other shrew species in Sulawesi that have been identified are: Crocidura caudipilosa, C. elongata, C. rhoditis, C. lea, C. levicula, C. musseri and C. nigripes.
The diversity of shrews known on Sulawesi is now three times greater than that known from any other island. Shrubs are a diverse group of mammals. 461 species have been identified so far.
Shrubs have an almost global distribution. These small insectivorous animals are closer relatives to porcupines and moles than other mammals.
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