Skip to content
EntityQ937392· pop 10· linked from 511 articles

Nectogalini

Sign in to save

Nectogalini is a tribe of Old World shrews within the family Soricidae. As of late 2007, it consisted of six extant genera and 25 species, with some of the latter being further divided into subspecies. Some, but not all members of the tribe are semiaquatic.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Parent taxon
red-toothed shrew
Image
Neomys anomalus.jpg
Show 2 more facts
taxon name
Nectogalini
taxon rank
tribe
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~1 min read

Encyclopedic overview

3 sections
Contents
  • Adaptation to semiaquatic life
  • Genera
  • References

Nectogalini is a tribe of Old World shrews within the family Soricidae. As of late 2007, it consisted of six extant genera and 25 species, with some of the latter being further divided into subspecies. Some, but not all members of the tribe are semiaquatic.

==Adaptation to semiaquatic life== Members of this tribe that are associated with a semiaquatic mode of life (Chimarrogale, Nectogale, and Neomys) have developed several lifestyle adaptations. For example, some species have stiff hairs on the sides of their toes and feet, both on their fore and hind limbs. These increase the surface area of the feet, assisting in locomotion during swimming. In addition, species such as Neomys fodiens have developed elongated tails with the hairs forming a keel-like shape that is similar in function to a rudder when the animal is in the water.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Nectogalini” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Available in 9 languages

via Wikidata sitelinks · CC0