14-05-2025
Long-tailed forest shrew spotted after 46 years
For the first time in 46 years, one of the Western Cape's most mysterious mammals, the Boosmansbos long-tailed forest shrew (Myosorex longicaudatus boosmani), has made a reappearance, exciting conservationists and volunteer biologists.
Conservationists from CapeNature, Grootvadersbosch Conservancy and Helihack, together with volunteer biologists, are ecstatic at finding the tiny mammal on the edge of a pristine forest patch on CapeNature's Boosmansbos Wilderness Area in the Langeberg Mountains.
First described in 1979 by scientist Nico Dippenaar, the shrew was recognised as a unique subspecies, geographically isolated from its relatives by the Gouritz Valley.
Its limited known range, combined with forest habitat loss and climate change, led to it being listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2016.
Armed with little more than Dippenaar's original field notes and habitat descriptions, the team embarked on their fourth attempt in four years to find the shrew.
Dippenaar, now retired, wished the group luck and fondly referred to the species as 'a bit of a darling'.
The survey took place from May 3-6 , with the shrew found on May 4.
'At last, I can take this little shrew off my biological bucket list. It's been a bit like a unicorn for me – a mythical creature that I thought I would never get a chance to see in real life,' said Dr Marienne de Villiers, CapeNature ecologist.
'And it's really comforting to know that at least part of its population, in a least some of its forest habitat, is well-protected.'
A genetic sample of the shrew will now be analysed to clarify its relationship to lower-altitude relatives, while further research is needed to better understand its life history, behavioural ecology, and the status of its only known population.
Intensive surveys of other forest patches may yet reveal more about its distribution. But for now, it's enough to celebrate that the special shrew of Boosmansbos is still alive and well.
Cape Argus
