National Museum of Natural Science

The whole body is covered in short, soft, black hairs. The tail is very short, with long bristles at the end. Due to its degenerated pinnae and small eyes, it may be mistaken for a mole at first glance. However, the Taiwanese mole shrew does not have large paws specialized for digging. It is mainly distributed in Taiwan’s mid- and high-elevation forests. This is a semi-fossorial species that hides in natural tree cavities. It is usually active on the forest floor, feeding on earthworms and insect larvae.

Text/Chen Yan-Jun, Chen Mu-Xuan

Photo/Huang Xiao-Ting

Taiwanese mole shrew