In a Nile Delta specimen, the African giant shrew had a brown back grading to dark gray below. A Senegal study of shrews from human dwellings found insect prey and house-mouse DNA in some samples.
The Nile Delta specimen was brown above, shading to dark gray along the sides and underside. Its tail was nearly uniform in color with fine whitish hairs; the ears were large and nearly bare.
A study of shrews trapped around Senegalese homes analyzed digestive tracts and feces. It found insects including ants, beetles, and cockroaches; house-mouse DNA occurred in 17 of the 54 samples with identifiable prey, suggesting possible predation.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.