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Suncus murinus
New Guinea has no native shrews and while most sources leave it off their range maps, I am guessing this is the (invasive) Asian house shrew. They are common enough here (in my house). There is a reference to a New Guinea introduction in "Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History, Distribution and Influence" by John Long (seen on Google books). This species is supposedly the world's largest shrew. It emits a piercing vocalization and is said to have a strong musky smell. The former I've heard, the latter I've not noticed.
Captured indoors. Surrounding habitats are a large semi-urban yard/garden next to a disturbed patch of remnant forest. This is in the equatorial tropics of northern New Guinea.
One of my dogs tried to get at this specimen in the house and my daughter rescued it. I put it in a large mixing bowl to photograph. The shrew was probably 10-12 cm total length. After photographing, I released it in a patch of disturbed forest nearby.
Spotted on Jan 12, 2014
Submitted on Jan 12, 2014
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