A new species of mammal has been discovered in Russia during a joint expedition by scientists - the Sarez white-toothed shrew. Two animals were caught in the high-mountainous part of Dagestan, in the vicinity of the village of Gunib. This was reported by the portal "Wild Nature of Russia".
"Genetic studies of Sarez white-toothed shrews in Dagestan showed their certain specificity, which may indicate the long-term habitation of representatives of this species on this territory," the statement says.
The expedition was attended by theriologists, specialists in mammals, from the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Zoological Museum of the Lomonosov Moscow State University with the support of the Dagestan State Natural Biosphere Reserve.
"The Sarez white-toothed shrew belongs to the complex of white-tailed white-toothed shrews "pergrisea" - one of the least studied groups of mammals in the world. Over a little more than a century of history of study, no more than 30 animals have been caught, which were attributed by researchers to four or five species. Most of the finds were in the arid mountains of Western and Central Asia," the portal notes.
The Sarez white-toothed shrew is a small animal, its body length is about five to six centimeters, with a tail - about ten centimeters. It lives in the highlands on stony screes, rocks, which is largely why it has been poorly studied.
"These mammals are distinguished by their specific appearance: the color of their backs is light brown with an opalescent grayish tint, the legs and tail are white, noticeably pubescent, the tail is quite long," the statement says.
According to the portal, the new species for Russia will be included in the "Atlas of the Distribution of Mammals of the European Part of Russia", which will be published in 2024.
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