A new short-snouted shrew from the Miocene of Spain

Abstract

A new Miocene shrew from east Central Spain is described. The new form, named Turiasorex pierremeini nov. gen., nov. sp., was found in 13- 10–Ma old sediments of the Calatayud-Daroca and Teruel basins. It is characterized by an extreme dental morphology consisting of elements with low length-width ratios, implying a relatively short snout. Such an adaptation could point to a hypogeal life style – using burrows made by other mammals – with a non-standard shrew diet consisting not only of insects, but also of earthworms and possibly small vertebrates such as lizards.