Description
The giant otter shrew is a mammal superficially similar to an otter in appearance. It is characterized by a long, flat tail, which it uses for swimming by sideways undulation like a fish. It has a muzzle covered with bristles, and flat shielded nostrils. It has dense, soft hair, silky on the tail.
It has small eyes and external ears. Its fur consists of a dense undercoat and course guard hairs. It possesses counter-shading with dark brown on its back and whitish or yellowish under parts . The tail is covered with a short, silky coat of fur and is compressed laterally which allow it to swim by horizontal undulations as in fishes and crocodiles . Its legs are short and lack webbing so they are not used for swimming. The hind feet have a flap if skin along the inside that allows them to be held snugly against the body when swimming . There are also two syndactylous (2nd and 3rd toes are fused) toes on the hind feet, used for grooming. On land P. velox is plantigrade . Females have two mammae on the lower abdomen for feeding young.
- Range mass
300 to 950 g
- Range length
Head and body: 290-350mm Plus tail: 535 to 640 mm
Read more about this topic: Giant Otter Shrew
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