In 2010, it was formally described as Salanoia durrelli in a paper by conservationist Joanna Durbin and a team of scientists from the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance, Nature Heritage, the Natural History Museum, Conservation International, and the DWCT.
Pada tahun 2010, hewan ini secara resmi dideskripsikan sebagai Salanoia durrelli dalam sebuah makalah karya pelestari Joanna Durbin dan tim ilmuwan dari Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance, Nature Heritage, the Natural History Museum, Conservation International, dan DWCT.