Zoologists discover 14 new species of shrew in Indonesia

 

Zoologists have discovered 14 new species of shrews.
An article on this was published in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.

This is the largest number of mammals described in a single article since 1931. This discovery came from field observations on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi that took nearly ten years.

“It’s a delightful discovery, but one that we sometimes find disturbing,” says Jake Esselstin, an author at Louisiana State University. –
Usually we only open one show at a time, which is really very exciting. For the first time in several years we have not at all understood how many species there are.”

A clearer picture began to emerge when investigations began analyzing genetic and morphological information about the new species. Scientists added to them individuals collected in 1916. In total, zoologists examined about 1,400 individuals and identified 21 species, of which 14 are new. This means that the plant biodiversity on Sulawesi is three times greater than on any other island.

Shrews are a diverse family of mammals, members of which are similar to mice in appearance, but with a characteristic “proboscis” on the face. At the moment, 461 species of shrews are known in the world.