A new species of Hero Shrew, discovered in Africa, might help explain how the original Hero Shrew got its incredibly strong spine.
The original Hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni) posed a bit of a puzzle to biologists. It possesses a bizarre and incredibly strong spine, but no one could adequately explain how it had evolved. While most mammals (including us) have 5 vertebrae in the the lumbar region of our spines, the Hero shrew has at least 10 and each vertebrate interlocks with its neighbours to give the whole backbone impressive strength. It can even support the weight of a grown man, as the Mangbetu people of the Democratic Republic of Congo were fond of demonstrating to guests.
The new species S. thori, named Thor's hero shrew, may represent an intermediate between typical shrews and the Hero shrew. While it has reinforced and interlocking vertebrae, Thor's hero shrew only has 8 lumbar vertebrae and each vertebrae does not interlock as much.
The team who discovered the new hero shrew have also suggested a new explanation as to why these two Hero shrew species need such strong spines. The insects the shrews feed on live between the bases of leaves and the bark of palm trees. While local people tear the hard dead leaves off to get to the grubs, the shrew has no such option. The research team suggest it positions itself between the leaves and the bark and uses its strong spine to create a gap between bark and leaf. In doing so it gains access to a food source other animals can't get to.
S. thori is named Thor's hero shrew for two reasons: first, as a reference to the Norse Deity associated with strength, and second to honour Thorvald "Thor" Holmes (Humboldt State University Vertebrate Museum)for his dedication to mammal research and study.
To read the paper: http://bit.ly/13LGGZZ
Photos: Top: Thor's hero shrew (S. thori), credit to William Stanley. Bottom: A comparison of shrew spines: African giant shrew (top), S. somereni (middle) and S. thori (bottom). The bracket denotes 10mm. Credit to William Stanley et al.
http://www.wired.co.uk/
http://
http://
The original Hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni) posed a bit of a puzzle to biologists. It possesses a bizarre and incredibly strong spine, but no one could adequately explain how it had evolved. While most mammals (including us) have 5 vertebrae in the the lumbar region of our spines, the Hero shrew has at least 10 and each vertebrate interlocks with its neighbours to give the whole backbone impressive strength. It can even support the weight of a grown man, as the Mangbetu people of the Democratic Republic of Congo were fond of demonstrating to guests.
The new species S. thori, named Thor's hero shrew, may represent an intermediate between typical shrews and the Hero shrew. While it has reinforced and interlocking vertebrae, Thor's hero shrew only has 8 lumbar vertebrae and each vertebrae does not interlock as much.
The team who discovered the new hero shrew have also suggested a new explanation as to why these two Hero shrew species need such strong spines. The insects the shrews feed on live between the bases of leaves and the bark of palm trees. While local people tear the hard dead leaves off to get to the grubs, the shrew has no such option. The research team suggest it positions itself between the leaves and the bark and uses its strong spine to create a gap between bark and leaf. In doing so it gains access to a food source other animals can't get to.
S. thori is named Thor's hero shrew for two reasons: first, as a reference to the Norse Deity associated with strength, and second to honour Thorvald "Thor" Holmes (Humboldt State University Vertebrate Museum)for his dedication to mammal research and study.
To read the paper: http://bit.ly/13LGGZZ
Photos: Top: Thor's hero shrew (S. thori), credit to William Stanley. Bottom: A comparison of shrew spines: African giant shrew (top), S. somereni (middle) and S. thori (bottom). The bracket denotes 10mm. Credit to William Stanley et al.
http://www.wired.co.uk/
http://
http://
