Giant Otter Shrew
Encyclopedia
The Giant Otter Shrew is a semiaquatic, carnivorous tenrec. It is found in the main rainforestblock of Central Africa from Biafra
to Zambia
, with a few isolated populations in Kenya
and Uganda
. It is found in streams, wetlands, and slowly flowing larger rivers. It is monotypic of the genus Potamogale.
in appearance.
It is characterized by a long, flat tail, which it uses for swimming by sideways undulation like a fish
. It has a muzzle covered with bristles, and flat shielded nostrils. It has dense, soft hair, silky on the tail.
s, fish
, frog
s, insect
s, and mollusks, which it locates with the thick bristles on its snout. It builds burrow
s among riverbank crevices.
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
to Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, with a few isolated populations in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. It is found in streams, wetlands, and slowly flowing larger rivers. It is monotypic of the genus Potamogale.
Description
The Giant Otter Shrew is a mammal somewhat similar to an otterOtter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
in appearance.
It is characterized by a long, flat tail, which it uses for swimming by sideways undulation like a fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
. It has a muzzle covered with bristles, and flat shielded nostrils. It has dense, soft hair, silky on the tail.
Behavior
The Giant Otter Shrew feeds underwater on crabCrab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, and mollusks, which it locates with the thick bristles on its snout. It builds burrow
Burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...
s among riverbank crevices.