Potamogale and Micropotamogale

Potamogale velox (Du Chaillu 1860, Nicoll 1985; extant; 53-64cm long; giant otter shrew) is considered a tenrec, but the large reptile tree nests it with shrews. Potamogale has small eyes and superficilally resembles an otter. It has a long flat tail, but swims with lateral undulations, not like an otter. The feet lack webbing and are not used for swimming. The 2nd and 3rd toes are fused. Potamogale burrows and swims in rainforest ponds and rivers. It is a nocturnal predator.

Micropotamogale ruwenzorii (de Witte & Frechkop 1955; aka Mesoptoamogale; dwart African water shrew or dwark otter shrew; head + body length 12-20cm) is nocturnal and aquatic. It also burrows and sometimes hunts on dry land. Micropotamogale has webbed feet and frequently dives for large vertebrate prey. The middle ear transformed into an almost perfect bulla with a carroti canal rather than only a groove.

de Witte & Frechkop, 1955. The Brain of Micropotamogale ruwenzorii (De Witte and Frechkop, 1955). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde 51:193-204.

Du Chaillu P 1860. Descriptions of mammals from equatorial Africa. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 7, 358–369.

Nicoll M 1985. The biology of the giant otter shrew *Potamogale velox*. National Geographic Society Research Reports, 21: 331-337.

wiki/Potamogale
wiki/Micropotamogale

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