# Somali dwarf shrew (Crocidura nana)

> The Somali dwarf shrew: a little-known shrew of dry grassland, described from Dollo in 1890, with a Data Deficient Red List status and only 1897 records from Somalia.

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Last checked: 2026-11-13
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## In short

The Somali dwarf shrew (*Crocidura nana*) is a mammal of the shrew family, Soricidae. It is found in Ethiopia and Somalia. Its natural habitat is dry tropical lowland grassland ([IUCN Red List, *Crocidura nana*, 2019](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41341A22306927.en)).

George Edward Dobson described it in 1890 ([GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435629)). Its type locality, the place the specimen used to describe the species came from, is Dollo in Somalia ([Wilson and Reeder, *Mammal Species of the World*, 3rd edition, 2005](https://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/)).

## What is known

The IUCN has placed it in the Data Deficient category: there is not enough information on its range, numbers or threats to place it in a risk category ([IUCN Red List, 2019](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41341A22306927.en)). All five GBIF records from Somalia are museum specimens or specimens cited in published papers, all dated 1897 (see records below).

## Records in Somali lands

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) holds 5 records of the Somali dwarf shrew from Somalia, dated 1897 ([GBIF occurrence search, Somalia](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?country=SO&taxon_key=2435629)). By type: 3 specimens cited in published papers, 2 museum specimens.

The oldest dated record is a museum specimen from 1897, from a place recorded as "??", held by the Natural History Museum, [London](/en/diaspora/london/) ([GBIF record 1919846040](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/1919846040)).

GBIF only holds what museums, scientists and observers have shared, so the counts show where the animal or plant has been recorded, not its full range.

## Red List status

The IUCN Red List category for the Somali dwarf shrew is **Data Deficient** ([IUCN Red List assessment](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41341A22306927.en); [GBIF species page](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435629)).

## Classification

| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Soricomorpha |
| Family | Soricidae |
| Genus | Crocidura |
| Species | *Crocidura nana* |

Scientific name with author: *Crocidura nana* Dobson, 1890 ([GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435629)).

## Related pages

- [Mammals of Somalia](/en/nature/mammals-of-somalia/)

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List assessment](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41341A22306927.en)
- [GBIF species page](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435629)
- [GBIF occurrence records, Somalia](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?country=SO&taxon_key=2435629)
- [Wilson and Reeder, Mammal Species of the World, 2005](https://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/)
- [Wikipedia (backup)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_dwarf_shrew)

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