This shrew was described from Mount Mantalingahan on Palawan. It has a stout body and broad forefeet, and was common in the survey's moss-rich high-elevation forests.
It has a stout body and broad forefeet with long claws. Its short tail is densely covered with short hairs and lacks long bristles.
Palawanosorex muscorum is active mainly at night near the ground. Crocidura palawanensis lives on the same mountain. Both were caught mostly on the ground, but capture records for Palawanosorex were concentrated particularly low down.
Researchers surveyed the southern slope of Mount Mantalingahan in June and July 2007. They used fried coconut or live earthworms as bait and recorded capture height and daylight or night-time. Of 21 Palawanosorex records with height information, two were above ground, no higher than 0.5 metres.
Eight of 30 Crocidura palawanensis captures were above ground, including tree trunks up to two metres high. Among 22 Palawanosorex captures with bait information, 11 used earthworms. Comparing capture heights and bait records provided clues to differences between small animals sharing a mountain forest.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Protecting forest from illegal logging and unsustainable agricultural practices is a concern in the Mount Mantalingahan landscape. A 2022 protected-area management-board resolution identified these threats and approved a group to coordinate environmental enforcement among relevant agencies. Retaining mountain forest and continuing surveys of the shrew are conservation priorities.