Incredibly Unique Animals: Grey-faced Elephant Shrew

The forests of Tanzania are home to hundreds of endemic animal species - those found no where else in the world. If we are to ensure the existence of these unique species we must protect their remaining habitat - something ARC has been doing for over twenty years. Every Wednesday, we will profile a different endemic species to give a peak into the amazing wildlife you can find in Tanzania’s forests. Think of it as a virtual safari! Thank you to ARC intern Nick Hummel who joins us from The New School to present this series.

If this is your first time visiting this series, you can check out our past features: Red Colobus Monkey and the Lesser Bush Baby.

Today we introduce you to the Grey-faced Elephant Shrew.

Species Range
Discovered as a new species in 2006, the Grey-faced Elephant Shrew, or Sengi, is the largest of all the elephant shrews and one of sixteen species of Sengis, all of which are found only in Africa. This particular species, Rhynchocyon udzungwensis, is restricted to only two forests in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania, with only about 300 square km of habitat, and listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. It is the first new species of its kind to be discovered in more than 126 years.

Description
Local people refer to these adorable creatures as "Sengis," while Europeans call them "elephant shrews" for their mobile elephant-like noses and shrew-like appearance. Amazingly, it has been discovered that elephant shrews are more biologically related to elephants and manatees than they are to true shrews. They all belong to the super-cohort Afrotheria, which split off genetically from other mammals over 100 million years ago and also include hyraxes, aardvarks, golden moles, and tenrecs.

Elephant shrews mate monogamously and are diurnal animals living in populations of 50-80 individuals. Monogamous pairs will defend their territories sex-specifically, meaning males will defend against males and females against females. They have a highly developed sense of hearing, sight, and smell, and communicate through scents they excrete via their glands. In stressful situations, they will often drum or slap their feet on the ground. This species builds leaf nests on the floor by digging into the soil, lining the bottom with leaf layers, covering the top with loose leaves and surrounding the hole with leaf litter. Their diet consists of invertebrates they must hunt for, often supplemented with small fruits, seeds, and green plant matter. They are often preyed upon by snakes, raptors, and carnivores.

Check out this amazing footage of a Sengi escaping a hungry lizard.

Threats and Solutions
The biggest threat to these animals is habitat loss caused mainly by human-induced or natural forest fires, but also by urban expansion, clear cutting for agriculture, timber extraction, and hunting. The forests these animals call home are also home to a number of other newly discovered rare species. The mountains also serve as a refuge for many species during the dry season making this a particularly important ecosystem to protect.

Sources:
Science20
ScienceDaily
IUCN Red List
CalAcademy

Photo Credit: Francesco Rovero