Morphological Features
Like shrews, it has a pelage with guard hairs and underfur. Its fur is dense and soft and the color ranges from dark gray to a sooty bluish-black color. Its tail is covered with scales and scattered coarse hairs. It has dark grey fur, a long, flattened snout, and a short but thick, bristled tail. It is about 10 cm (3.9 in) in length including a 3 centimetres (1.2 in) tail, and weighs about 10 g (0.35 oz). Its front paws are smaller and do not face outwards from the body as in more fossorial moles, and so are more similar to those of shrews. The front paws are also broad with bifurcate phalanges, which provide more support for the claws in order to dig. Also, the three middle claws of the front paws are elongated and the eyes are also completely covered by skin.
In addition to the front paws, the rest of its morphological features allow it to be highly fossorial and subterranean. It has a streamlined body that allow it to move smoothly through tunnels and short appendages that are kept close to the body. These features reduce drag when it digs and whenit moves through tunnels. It has 36 teeth, which consist of incisors, canines, pre-molars, and molars.
Read more about this topic: American Shrew Mole
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