Kihaule's Mouse Shrew

Kihaule's mouse shrew has a head-and-body length of between 70 and 84 mm (2.8 and 3.3 in) and a tail length of between 36 and 46 mm (1.4 and 1.8 in). The dorsal fur is dark brown, the individual hairs having brownish-black bases and paler brown tips. The ventral fur is brown, but not such a rich shade as that of the Geata mouse shrew (Myosorex geata), which it otherwise resembles. The tubercles on the hind feet are large and rounded, and the claws are sturdy. The tail is about half the length of the combined head-and-body.

This shrew is endemic to Tanzania, and is only known from the Udzungwa Mountains, one of the ranges of the Eastern Arc Mountains, although some specimens of a species of Myosorex on Mount Rungwe might prove to be M. kihaulei. At one time these mountains were part of a continuous belt of rainforest, but climate changes resulted in the lowland areas between the mountains becoming savannah, and the forest on each mountain range was separated from the neighbouring ranges, resulting in much endemism. This shrew is found in moist montane forest, including swamp forest and areas of bamboo, at altitudes of over 1,400 m (4,600 ft).