This Central African species is found within the Congo Basin and adjacent mountain ranges. It does not occur to the west of the Oubangi River. There are records from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. It ranges between 700 and 2,230 m asl.

The range of Scutisorex somereni, the hero shrew, is restricted to the forest belt in Africa. The countries located within the forest belt range from southwestern Uganda, eatern Zaire, and to northern Rwanda.

Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )

"The hero shrew is a large gray shrew with a thick woolly fur (Kingdon 85)." The head and body lengths range from 120 to 150 mm, and the tail length can vary from 68 to 95 mm. The weight is also variable between 30 to 115 g. The pelage is long, thick and coarse. According to Ducommun the hairs of shrews in general function as complex protective structures. The pelage of the hero shrew consists of sensitive tactile and projectile components. It is hypothesized that the projectile, rigid hairs help to disperse scent (Ducommun et al. 630). "The armored shrew, Scutisorex somereni, is an African giant shrew with long fur. The well-developed shield shows modifications for which no plausible explanation is yet available. This big shrew is well known for other enigmatic structures, namely the vertebrae with lateral and ventral interlocking spines and eleven instead of five lumbar vertebrae, a condition no recorded in any other mammal (Ducommun et al. 638)."

The hero shrew is one of the most modified among the vertebrates (Kingdon 1974). The spine is spectacular and is equipped with extra joints that allow for flexibility. The spine has been described as a large bony buttress, which is key to its unusual strength. The size, shape and articulation of the lumbar region is considerabley altered from other members of the insectivore family. The spine structure reduces compression along the postcranial body. The hero shrew's spinal column has the ability to withstand extreme loading of weight. Each vertebrae between the rib cage and the hips is a corrugated cylinder. The spine has a series of complex interlocking tubercles that articulate with the previous and succeeding vertebrae. The series of tubercles have also been called the scaling morphology. This scaling morphology reduces the compression along the postcranial body allowing the hero shrew to withstand the weight of a 160 pound man. Currently there is not a satisfactory ecological, behavioral, or morphological explanation for such a super structured spine.

Although the spine is robust, the rest of the postcranial vertebral column is not especially fortified. The morphology of the axial skeletion is approppriate for handling large loads, but the appendicular skeleton is not (Cullinane el al. 449). The difference between the shrew's strong spine and the rest of its limbs is striking. The limbs, according to Cullinane et al, do not exhibit a significant difference in robustness when compared to other small mammals.

The mass of the spine accounts for nearly 4 percent of the hero shrew's body weight. Comparing the spinal column mass to body mass ratio of other small mammals, we find that for small mammals the spinal column to body ratio ranges only between .5 and 1.6 percent. This is a significant difference that is not understood fully. The unusual spinal morphology was not recognized as an anomaly at first because early investigation of the hero shrew consisted solely of reviewing just the skull and the skin characteristics. Not until 1917 when a researcher named Allen found a preserved specimen, at the American Museum, did the spine begin to be investigated.

Range mass: 30 to 115 g.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial

Swamps and waterlogged areas are common in the parts of Africa occupied by this species and have specialized flora and fauna (Kingdon, 1971). Hero shrews prefer areas of trees, palms, and dense undergrowth at low elevation.

Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest

A report by Kingdon suggests that hero shrews prefer an environment that is dense in undergrowth of wild ginger and arrowroot. Although this would suggest that the hero shrew is an herbivore, it is not. In the field, Land recorded a variety of food items in the stomachs of trapped Scutisorex somereni including insects, caterpillars, earthworms, and the remain of frogs. In captivity hero shrews also consume mammal meat if given the opportunity.

There is little information on the reproduction of the hero shrew. Ther breeding behavior has not been observed. The only mention of reproduction is an account that two lactating females were caught in May and three sexually inactive animals were caught in the same month (Kingdon 91).

Spinal column has strength and flexibility: armored shrew
 

The spine of armored shrews is remarkable strong yet flexible, due to interlocking vertebral spines located laterally, dorsally, and ventrally on the spinal column.

     
  "Armored shrews (Scutisorex somereni) have a unique skeletal feature. Interlocking lateral, dorsal, and ventral vertebral spines create an exceptionally sturdy vertebral column. Despite this feature, these shrews still have considerable flexibility and can bend dorsoventrally and laterally." (Fowler and Miller 2003:304)
  Learn more about this functional adaptation.

Researchers have found the hero shrew in Africa but the population has not been evaluated.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

Conservation Actions

None

The hero shrew is important locally. The tribe's people believe that any part of the hero shrew will act as a tailsman to save them from peril.