New Species of Hero Shrew Discovered in Africa

Posted on July 26, 2013

Scientists at Chicago's Field Museum and international collaborators have discovered a new species of Hero Shrew. The specimen was collected in the lowland forest near the Tshuapa River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was named Scutisorex thori. It is named in honor of Thorvald "Thor" Holmes, Jr. of Humboldt State University. The suggested common name is Thor's Hero Shrew, invoking Thor, the Norse god of strength.

The Hero Shrew has the the most bizarre lower spine on Earth. The scientists say the interlocking vertebrae of the Hero Shrew render the spine four to five times more robust relative to body mass, a condition not found in any other mammal. Scientific American has a diagram of the Hero Shrew's backbone here. A man reportedly once stood on the back of a Hero Shrew and it walked away totally unharmed.

Bill Stanley, Director of Collections and zoologist at the Field Museum, said in a statement, "This shrew first came to light when explorers came to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The explorers watched in amazement as a full-grown man stood on the back of the Hero Shrew, and the animal walked away, unharmed."

Until now, there have been no other species of this bizarre shrew. The scientists say the new species is a possible intermediate between the original Hero Shrew and other shrews. The new Hero Shrew species also possesses an interlocking spine, but with fewer lower vertebrae and lateral processes than the first Hero Shrew species.

Stanley says, "You and I have five lumbar vertebrae. And so do most other mammals, but the Hero Shrew at least 10. Scutisorex thori has eight vertebrae, and fewer lateral processes than the original species."

Here's an interview with Bill Stanley with The Brain Scoop about the shrew and its amazing spine.

The research was published here in Biology Letters.



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