Inferring Feeding Biology in Extinct Shrews (Soricidae: Mammalia): Application of a Linear Morphometric Approach

Linear morphometrics have been used extensively to infer the ecology of fossil organisms, but shrews have not yet been thoroughly explored using this technique. Often considered to have a homogenous insectivorous diet, direct dietary observation suggests shrew dietary diversity is substantial. Diversity of this nature is well established to have influenced skull morphology in other mammal clades, so similar patterns are hypothesized to be detectable in shrews. To test this, I examined the link between known diet and morphological disparity in extant shrews using linear morphometrics and then utilized that framework to infer the dietary ecology of several fossil taxa. Results suggest that while phylogenetic history has influenced the dental morphology of shrews, functional differences are evident. While most fossil taxa studied fall within the range of extant variation, the robust species of Crusafontina present at the Gray Fossil Site is distinct from all other included taxa.