Hero shrew
Scutisorex somereni (Thomas, 1910)
The hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni) is a species in the family Soricidae, order Eulipotyphla. Recorded adults weigh 91.5 g to 91.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the hero shrew
- Weight
- 91.5 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.85src for Young per litter or clutch
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the hero shrew live?
Not recorded
What is the hero shrew?
The hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni), also known as the armored shrew, is a large shrew native to the Congo Basin of Africa. Its features are typical of a white-toothed shrew − short legs, slender snout, dense fur − except for a highly unusual spinal column. It has corrugated interlocking vertebrae that are unique among mammals except for its sister species, Thor's hero shrew. This unique adaptation allows the animal to bear a huge amount of weight on its back − 72 kg (159 lb) according to an expedition team.
The hero shrew lives in both lowland and mountain forests. They live in the undergrowth, feeding primarily on invertebrates. The evolutionary benefit of its unusual spine is unknown; it is hypothesized that it allows the animal to push itself under logs or between a palm tree's leaves and trunk to find food. Local tribes of people believe the hero shrew holds magical powers. It is classified as Least Concern by IUCN.
From the Wikipedia article “Hero shrew” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hero_shrew&oldid=1324850568), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the hero shrew endangered?
The hero shrew is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the hero shrew classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderEulipotyphla
- familySoricidae
- genusScutisorex
- SpeciesScutisorex somereni (Thomas, 1910)
Synonyms Sylvisorex somereni
Other names and names in other languages (18)
- Armored hero shrewEnglish
- Armored shrewEnglish
- Armored shrewEnglish
- Armoured hero shrewEnglish
- Armoured shrewEnglish
- rejskovec pancéřovýCzech
- PanzerspitzmausGerman
- SchildspitzmausGerman
- Musaraña con Vértebras Entrelazadas AcorazadaSpanish
- kyttyräpäästäinenFinnish
- Musaraigne cuirasséeFrench
- Páncélos cickányHungarian
- ヨロイジネズミJapanese
- HerospissmusNorwegian Bokmål
- HeltespissmusNorwegian Bokmål
- PantserspitsmuisDutch
- herosek zbrojnyPolish
- Угандская белозубка-броненоскаRussian
Relatives of the hero shrew
Other species in the same genus Scutisorex.
Thor's hero shrew
Scutisorex thori
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the hero shrew?
An adult hero shrew weighs 91.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the hero shrew endangered?
The hero shrew is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the hero shrew?
The hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni) belongs to the family Soricidae in the order Eulipotyphla.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/hero-shrew
“Hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/hero-shrew.
@misc{hero_shrew_2026,
title = {Hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/hero-shrew},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}