# Somali shrew (Crocidura somalica)

> The Somali shrew: a small savanna shrew of Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Mali, its Red List status and its museum records from Somalia, 1960 to 1986.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/nature/somali-shrew/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

The Somali shrew (*Crocidura somalica*) is a mammal of the shrew family, Soricidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Mali, [Somalia and Sudan](/en/relations/sudan/), and its natural habitat is dry savanna ([GBIF, IUCN category](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435736); [Wikipedia, Somali shrew, backup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_shrew)).

Oldfield Thomas of the British Museum described it in 1895 ([GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435736)).

## A wide but patchy range

Its known range is split between the Horn of Africa in the east (Somalia, Ethiopia and [Sudan](/en/diaspora/sudan/)) and Mali in West Africa ([Wikipedia, Somali shrew, backup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_shrew)). The genus *Crocidura* is known in English as the white-toothed shrews ([GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435736)).

## What the record shows

GBIF holds five records from Somalia, four of them museum specimens, dated from 1960 to 1986 (see records below). None of the shared records from Somalia names a region.

## Records in Somali lands

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) holds 5 records of the Somali shrew from Somalia, dated from 1960 to 1986 ([GBIF occurrence search, Somalia](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?country=SO&taxon_key=2435736)). By type: 4 museum specimens, 1 specimen cited in a published paper.

The oldest dated record is a museum specimen from 1960, held by the Paris Natural History Museum ([GBIF record 1064381593](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/1064381593)).

The newest dated record is a museum specimen from 1986, held by the Natural History Museum, [London](/en/diaspora/london/) ([GBIF record 1919701399](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/1919701399)).

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 shrew is **Least Concern** ([GBIF, IUCN Red List category](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435736); [GBIF species page](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435736)).

## Classification

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

Scientific name with author: *Crocidura somalica* Thomas, 1895 ([GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435736)).

## Related pages

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

## Sources

- [GBIF species page](https://www.gbif.org/species/2435736)
- [GBIF occurrence records, Somalia](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?country=SO&taxon_key=2435736)
- [Wikipedia (backup)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_shrew)

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