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Are elephant shrews shrews?
Elephant shrews are not, in fact, shrews. Recent evidence suggests that they are more closely related to a group of African mammals that includes elephants, sea cows, and aardvarks. Elephant shrews (also called sengis) are represented by a single family, the Macroscelididae,…
How do elephant shrews clean themselves?
Of the 17 living species of elephant shrews, the short-eared elephant shrew is the smallest. Short-eared elephant shrews clean themselves with dust baths. Their long tails are lined with knobbed bristles. The exact function of the bristles is unknown, but they may be used like swabs to spread their scent.
How long are elephant shrews pregnant for?
Female elephant shrews are pregnant for a long time, up to 65 days, for such a small animal. The young are highly precocious: they can run almost as fast as the adults soon after birth. Distribution: Central and East Africa.
What is a four-toed elephant shrew?
Four-toed elephant shrew or four-toed sengi is the only living shrew in the Petrodromus genus. It is only found in Central and Southern East Africa.
What is the lost species of elephant shrew?
The last scientific record of the „lost species“ of elephant shrew was in the 1970s, despite local sightings. The creature was found alive and well in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, during a scientific expedition. Elephant shrews, or sengis, are neither elephants nor shrews, but related to aardvarks, elephants and manatees.
How do elephant shrews protect themselves from predators?
The skin there is three times thicker than the skin on the back, and provides protection against the bites of other elephant shrews. Because elephant shrews are unusual in that, unlike most small mammals, they are active during the day, they have several unusual adaptations related to escaping predators.
Where do elephant shrews live in Namibia?
Namib round-eared elephant shrew or Namib round-eared sengi is mostly found in the central Namib desert and southern Namibia. Golden-rumped elephant shrew is the largest species of the elephant shrew. This endangered species lives in dense forests.