kokybs

Kokybs is a genus of small, nocturnal insectivorous mammals described from montane forests in Southeast Asia. It is placed in the order Eulipotyphla and is assigned to a distinct family, Kokybidae, though some researchers treat it as a subfamily within broader shrew and hedgehog lineages. The genus includes a few described species, with ongoing work to resolve their relationships.

Kokybs individuals are four to seven centimeters long, with tails three to six centimeters, and they weigh roughly eight to twenty-five grams. They have short limbs, sturdy claws, and dense gray-brown fur. The snout is elongated with sensitive whiskers, and the dentition is reduced in keeping with an insectivorous diet.

They inhabit leaf litter and mossy understories in cloud forests at elevations between about twelve hundred and twenty six hundred meters. Current records come from several forested regions in the Anara and Buan highlands, though ranges are still being refined.

Kokybs are mainly nocturnal and solitary. They forage by pawing through leaf litter for insects and other invertebrates and shelter in small burrows or crevices by day.

Conservation assessments are hampered by a restricted range and limited field detection. Habitat loss from deforestation and climate-change-driven shifts in cloud-forest zones are potential threats. Some populations occur within protected areas, which may aid conservation.

The name derives from the local Koky language term for forest dweller. The genus was first described in a 1999 field study by Lian Su and colleagues, based on specimens collected during biodiversity surveys.