Elephant shrew
Encyclopedia
Elephant shrews or jumping shrews are small insectivorous
mammal
s native to Africa
, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order
Macroscelidea. Their traditional common English name comes from a fancied resemblance between their long noses and the trunk of an elephant
, and an assumed relationship with the true shrew
s (family Soricidae) in the order Insectivora
because of their superficial similarities. As it has become plain that the elephant shrews are unrelated to the shrews, the biologist Jonathan Kingdon
has proposed that they instead be called sengis, a term derived from the Bantu languages
of Africa.
They are widely distributed across the southern part of Africa, and although common nowhere, can be found in almost any type of habitat, from the Namib Desert
to boulder-strewn outcrops in South Africa to thick forest. One species, the North African Elephant Shrew
, remains in the semi-arid, mountainous country in the far north-west of the continent.
like those of ungulate
s. Their dental formula
is
Although mostly diurnal and very active, they are difficult to trap and very seldom seen: elephant shrews are wary, well camouflaged, and adept at dashing away from threats. Several species make a series of cleared pathways through the undergrowth and spend their day patrolling them for insect life: if disturbed, the pathway provides an obstacle-free escape route.
Elephant shrews are not highly social animals, but many live in monogamous pairs, which share and defend a home territory, which they mark using scent gland
s. The Rhynchocyon
species also dig small conical holes in the soil, bandicoot
style, but others may use natural crevices, or make leaf nests.
Short-eared elephant shrews inhabit dry steppes and stone deserts of southwestern Africa. They even can be found in the Namib Desert
, one of the driest regions of the earth. Elephant shrews live in pairs and defend territories. Females drive away other females while males try to ward off other males. Although they live in pairs, the partners do not care much for each other and their sole purpose of even associating with the opposite sex is for reproduction. Social behaviors are not very common and they even have separate nests. The one or two young are well developed at birth. They are able to run around just a few hours after birth.
Females give birth to litters of one or three young several times a year, after a gestation
period varying from 45 to 60 days. The young are born relatively well developed, but remain in the nest for several days before venturing outside.
The mating period lasts for several days and is followed by six weeks of gestation. After mating, the pair will return to their solitary habits. The female then will give birth to 1-2 young in one of her leaf nests. Only for nursing purposes are the young visited by the mother. After 5 days the young are fed mashed insects with the milk, which are collected and transported in the cheek pouches of the female. The young then slowly start to explore their environment and start to hunt for insects. After about 15 days, the young will begin the migratory phase of their life which lessens the dependency of the young on their mother. The young will then establish their own home ranges (about 1 km2) and will become sexually active within 41–46 days.
. Eating large prey can pose somewhat of a challenge for the elephant shrew. For example, a giant elephant-shrew struggling with an earthworm must first pin its prey to the ground with a forefoot. Then, turning its head to one side, it chews pieces off with its cheek teeth, much like a dog chewing a bone. This is a sloppy process, and many small pieces of worm drop to the ground; these are simply flicked up with the tongue. Some elephant-shrews also feed on small amounts of plant matter when available, especially new leaves, seeds, and small fruits.
. Some, such as Myohyrax, were so similar to hyrax
es that they were initially misidentified as belonging to that group, while others, such as Mylomygale were relatively rodent
-like. These unusual forms all died out by the Pleistocene
. Although macroscelids have been classified with many groups, often on the basis of superficial characteristics, there is now considerable morphological and molecular evidence for placing them within Afrotheria
, probably close to the base of Paenungulata
.
s as part of the Insectivora
; regarded as distant relatives of the ungulate
s; grouped with the treeshrew
s; and lumped in with the hares and rabbits in the Lagomorpha
. Recent molecular evidence, however, strongly supports a superorder Afrotheria
which unites tenrecs, and golden mole
s with certain mammals that were previously presumed to be ungulates, including hyrax
es, sirenians, aardvark
s and elephant
s, as well as the elephant shrews.
There are 17 species of elephant shrew in four genera
, two of which are monotypic
.
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s native to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Macroscelidea. Their traditional common English name comes from a fancied resemblance between their long noses and the trunk of an elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, and an assumed relationship with the true shrew
Shrew
A shrew or shrew mouse is a small molelike mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha. True shrews are also not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders.Although its external appearance is generally that of...
s (family Soricidae) in the order Insectivora
Insectivora
The order Insectivora is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the class of mammals...
because of their superficial similarities. As it has become plain that the elephant shrews are unrelated to the shrews, the biologist Jonathan Kingdon
Jonathan Kingdon
Jonathan Kingdon is a science author, and Research Associate at the University of Oxford.He focuses on taxonomic illustration and evolution of the mammals of Africa. He is a contributor to The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing....
has proposed that they instead be called sengis, a term derived from the Bantu languages
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
of Africa.
They are widely distributed across the southern part of Africa, and although common nowhere, can be found in almost any type of habitat, from the Namib Desert
Namib Desert
The Namib Desert is a desert in Namibia and southwest Angola that forms part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the largest game reserve in Africa. The name "Namib" is of Nama origin and means "vast place"...
to boulder-strewn outcrops in South Africa to thick forest. One species, the North African Elephant Shrew
North African Elephant Shrew
The North African Elephant Shrew or North African Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation and hot deserts....
, remains in the semi-arid, mountainous country in the far north-west of the continent.
Characteristics
Elephant shrews are small animals with brownish gray coats. Elephant shrews vary in size from about 10 to almost 30 centimetres, from just under 50 g to over 500 g. The Short-eared Elephant Shrew has an average size of 150 millimetres (5.9 in). All are quadrupedal with mouse-like tails, and rather long legs for their size which are used to move in a hopping fashion like rabbits. Although the size of the trunk varies from one species to another, all are able to twist it about in search of food. Their life span is about two and a half to four years in the wild. They have large canine teeth, and also high-crowned cheek teethMolar (tooth)
Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
like those of ungulate
Ungulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...
s. Their dental formula
Dentition
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...
is
Although mostly diurnal and very active, they are difficult to trap and very seldom seen: elephant shrews are wary, well camouflaged, and adept at dashing away from threats. Several species make a series of cleared pathways through the undergrowth and spend their day patrolling them for insect life: if disturbed, the pathway provides an obstacle-free escape route.
Elephant shrews are not highly social animals, but many live in monogamous pairs, which share and defend a home territory, which they mark using scent gland
Scent gland
Scent glands are found in the genital area of most mammals and in various other parts of the body, such as the underarms of humans and the preorbital glands of deer and muskox. They produce a semi-viscous fluid which contains pheromones. These odor-messengers indicate information such as status,...
s. The Rhynchocyon
Rhynchocyon
Rhynchocyon is a genus of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. Members of this genus are known colloquially as the checkered elephant shrews.It contains the following four species:*Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew, Rhynchocyon chrysopygus...
species also dig small conical holes in the soil, bandicoot
Bandicoot
Bandicoots are a group of about 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia.- Etymology :...
style, but others may use natural crevices, or make leaf nests.
Short-eared elephant shrews inhabit dry steppes and stone deserts of southwestern Africa. They even can be found in the Namib Desert
Namib Desert
The Namib Desert is a desert in Namibia and southwest Angola that forms part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the largest game reserve in Africa. The name "Namib" is of Nama origin and means "vast place"...
, one of the driest regions of the earth. Elephant shrews live in pairs and defend territories. Females drive away other females while males try to ward off other males. Although they live in pairs, the partners do not care much for each other and their sole purpose of even associating with the opposite sex is for reproduction. Social behaviors are not very common and they even have separate nests. The one or two young are well developed at birth. They are able to run around just a few hours after birth.
Females give birth to litters of one or three young several times a year, after a gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period varying from 45 to 60 days. The young are born relatively well developed, but remain in the nest for several days before venturing outside.
The mating period lasts for several days and is followed by six weeks of gestation. After mating, the pair will return to their solitary habits. The female then will give birth to 1-2 young in one of her leaf nests. Only for nursing purposes are the young visited by the mother. After 5 days the young are fed mashed insects with the milk, which are collected and transported in the cheek pouches of the female. The young then slowly start to explore their environment and start to hunt for insects. After about 15 days, the young will begin the migratory phase of their life which lessens the dependency of the young on their mother. The young will then establish their own home ranges (about 1 km2) and will become sexually active within 41–46 days.
Feeding habits
All elephant-shrews eat mainly invertebrates, such as insects, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, and earthworms. An elephant-shrew uses its nose to find prey and uses its tongue to flick small food into its mouth, much like an anteaterAnteater
Anteaters, also known as antbear, are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. Together with the sloths, they compose the order Pilosa...
. Eating large prey can pose somewhat of a challenge for the elephant shrew. For example, a giant elephant-shrew struggling with an earthworm must first pin its prey to the ground with a forefoot. Then, turning its head to one side, it chews pieces off with its cheek teeth, much like a dog chewing a bone. This is a sloppy process, and many small pieces of worm drop to the ground; these are simply flicked up with the tongue. Some elephant-shrews also feed on small amounts of plant matter when available, especially new leaves, seeds, and small fruits.
Evolution
A number of fossil species are known, all of them from Africa. There was a considerable diversification of macroscelids in the PaleogenePaleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
. Some, such as Myohyrax, were so similar to hyrax
Hyrax
A hyrax is any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. The rock hyrax Procavia capensis, the yellow-spotted rock hyrax Heterohyrax brucei, the western tree hyrax Dendrohyrax dorsalis, and the southern tree hyrax, Dendrohyrax arboreus live in Africa...
es that they were initially misidentified as belonging to that group, while others, such as Mylomygale were relatively rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
-like. These unusual forms all died out by the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
. Although macroscelids have been classified with many groups, often on the basis of superficial characteristics, there is now considerable morphological and molecular evidence for placing them within Afrotheria
Afrotheria
Afrotheria is a clade of mammals, the living members of which belong to groups from Africa or of African origin: golden moles, sengis , tenrecs, aardvarks, hyraxes, elephants and sea cows. The common ancestry of these animals was not recognized until the late 1990s...
, probably close to the base of Paenungulata
Paenungulata
Paenungulata is a taxon that groups some remarkable mammals, including three orders that are extant: Proboscidea , Sirenia , and Hyracoidea . At least two more orders are known only as fossils, namely Embrithopoda and Desmostylia...
.
Classification
In the past, elephant shrews have been classified with the shrews and hedgehogHedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
s as part of the Insectivora
Insectivora
The order Insectivora is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the class of mammals...
; regarded as distant relatives of the ungulate
Ungulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...
s; grouped with the treeshrew
Treeshrew
The treeshrews are small mammals native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. They make up the families Tupaiidae, the treeshrews, and Ptilocercidae, the pen-tailed treeshrews, and the entire order Scandentia. There are 20 species in 5 genera...
s; and lumped in with the hares and rabbits in the Lagomorpha
Lagomorpha
The lagomorphs are the members of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, of which there are two living families, the Leporidae , and the Ochotonidae...
. Recent molecular evidence, however, strongly supports a superorder Afrotheria
Afrotheria
Afrotheria is a clade of mammals, the living members of which belong to groups from Africa or of African origin: golden moles, sengis , tenrecs, aardvarks, hyraxes, elephants and sea cows. The common ancestry of these animals was not recognized until the late 1990s...
which unites tenrecs, and golden mole
Golden mole
Golden moles are small, insectivorous burrowing mammals native to southern Africa. They form the family Chrysochloridae, and are taxonomically distinct from the true moles which they resemble due to convergence...
s with certain mammals that were previously presumed to be ungulates, including hyrax
Hyrax
A hyrax is any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. The rock hyrax Procavia capensis, the yellow-spotted rock hyrax Heterohyrax brucei, the western tree hyrax Dendrohyrax dorsalis, and the southern tree hyrax, Dendrohyrax arboreus live in Africa...
es, sirenians, aardvark
Aardvark
The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
s and elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, as well as the elephant shrews.
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
, two of which are monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
.
- ORDER MACROSCELIDEA
- Family Macroscelididae
- Genus ElephantulusElephantulusElephantulus is a genus of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family.It contains the following species:* Short-snouted Elephant Shrew * Cape Elephant Shrew...
- Short-snouted Elephant ShrewShort-snouted Elephant ShrewThe Short-snouted Elephant Shrew or Short-snouted Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe...
, Elephantulus brachyrhynchus - Cape Elephant ShrewCape Elephant ShrewThe Cape Elephant Shrew, Cape Rock Elephant Shrew, or Cape Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitat is rocky areas....
, Elephantulus edwardii - Dusky-footed Elephant ShrewDusky-footed Elephant ShrewThe Dusky-footed Elephant Shrew or Dusky-footed Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland....
, Elephantulus fuscipes - Dusky Elephant ShrewDusky Elephant ShrewThe Dusky Elephant Shrew or Dusky Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is dry savanna....
, Elephantulus fuscus - Bushveld Elephant ShrewBushveld Elephant ShrewThe Bushveld Elephant Shrew or Bushveld Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and hot deserts....
, Elephantulus intufi - Eastern Rock Elephant ShrewEastern Rock Elephant ShrewThe Eastern Rock Elephant Shrew or Eastern Rock Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is found in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and rocky areas....
, Elephantulus myurus - Karoo Rock Elephant ShrewKaroo Rock Elephant ShrewKaroo Rock Elephant Shrew is a type of Shrew in the genus Elephantulus. The Karoo Rock Elephant Shrew known habitat is in South Africa ....
, Elephantulus pilicaudus - Somali Elephant ShrewSomali Elephant ShrewThe Somali Elephant Shrew or Somali Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is endemic to Somalia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and hot deserts....
, Elephantulus revoili - North African Elephant ShrewNorth African Elephant ShrewThe North African Elephant Shrew or North African Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation and hot deserts....
, Elephantulus rozeti - Rufous Elephant ShrewRufous Elephant ShrewThe Rufous Elephant-shrew or Rufous Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.-External links:* - with video clip from Life...
, Elephantulus rufescens - Western Rock Elephant ShrewWestern Rock Elephant ShrewThe Western Rock Elephant Shrew or Western Rock Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is found in Namibia, South Africa, possibly Angola, and possibly Botswana. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and rocky areas....
, Elephantulus rupestris
- Short-snouted Elephant Shrew
- Genus Macroscelides
- Short-eared Elephant Shrew, Macroscelides proboscideus
- Genus Petrodromus
- Four-toed Elephant ShrewFour-toed Elephant ShrewThe Four-toed Elephant Shrew or Four-toed Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Namibia...
, Petrodromus tetradactylus
- Four-toed Elephant Shrew
- Genus RhynchocyonRhynchocyonRhynchocyon is a genus of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. Members of this genus are known colloquially as the checkered elephant shrews.It contains the following four species:*Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew, Rhynchocyon chrysopygus...
- Golden-rumped Elephant ShrewGolden-rumped Elephant ShrewThe Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew is the largest of the African elephant shrew family. It is the size of a small rabbit, and is only found in the coastal Arabuko Sokoke National Park north of Mombassa in Kenya. Its name is derived from the conspicuous golden fur on its hindquarters which contrasts...
, Rhynchocyon chrysopygus - Checkered Elephant ShrewCheckered Elephant ShrewThe Checkered Elephant Shrew or Checkered Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family.-Range and habitat:...
, Rhynchocyon cirnei - Black and Rufous Elephant ShrewBlack and Rufous Elephant ShrewThe Black and Rufous Elephant Shrew , also known as the Black and Rufous Sengi, is one of 16 species of elephant shrew alive today in Africa. As other members of the genus Rhynchocyon, it is a relatively large species, with adults averaging c. 28 cm in length and 450-700 g in weight. It is...
, Rhynchocyon petersi - Grey-faced SengiGrey-faced SengiThe Grey-faced Sengi is a species of elephant shrew that is endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains of south-central Tanzania. The discovery of the species was announced in January 2008; only fifteen species of elephant shrew were known until then, and the last discovery was made more than 120 years ago...
, Rhynchocyon udzungwensis
- Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew
- Genus Elephantulus
- Family Macroscelididae