Today I bring you a little about an animal a little strange, but this one if it is more known surely, it is family of the rodents and its trunk is very similar to that of an elephant, I am speaking of the Shrew elephant or Sengis.
These small rodents are endemic mammals of the African continent, there are at least 19 species that belong to a single family to the Macroscelidae, one of the most amazing things about this animal is its similarity with its ancestor,according to scientific studies revealed that they are part of an ancient African radiation whose grouping is called Afrotheria which includes animals such as the elephant, the anteater, and cows of more to name a few related species.
They are insectivorous mammals, but they can hunt other animals if the condition of their environment becomes extreme. They commonly hunt grasshoppers, crickets, butterflies, scorpions, and ants.
Their natural enemies are snakes and some birds of prey. The shrew has a great ability to timely escape from its main predators.
For much of the 19th century they had been documented as extinct, but the reality is that not all elephant shrew species are in danger and despite the bad forecasts of the last century this incredible animal lives and enjoys good health. The endangered species as expected is the loss of their environment due to logging, agriculture and urban complexes.
It has long legs and a tail of average size, the most outstanding is its horn, its measure goes from 10 to 31 cm long and its tail has a length of 8 to 30 centimeters long. Normally they weigh between 25 to 300 grams.
Their skin color varies depending on the species and habitat where they are found, the color of their coat can be from a yellowish gray to a reddish brown, the belly part carries a mostly white or light gray tone.
The elephant shrews live in pairs and keep it for life, in fact their activities take turns constantly, for example: after giving birth the female spends a lot of time caring for the offspring, occupies a lot of time breastfeeding so no other work is done, the male during this period is responsible for cleaning and providing food, also dedicated to ensuring the entrances to the burrow so that no predator reaches the resting place.
The elephant shrew gestation period is from 6 to 10 weeks. Per litter the female gives birth to 1 to 2 young, rarely were observed births with 3 or 4 small.
The female in favorable climatic conditions can be fertile all year round, reaching 3 to 4 litters per year.
Although there have been enough studies on the elephant shrew for a long time it was believed that all species of unusual rodent were already counted, but science was wrong and in 2010 in Tanzania found a giant shrew, this new member whose scientific name is Rhynchocyon udzungwensis, lives in the forests of the mountains of Udzungwa located specifically in southern Tanzania, weighs about 700 grams and like his African relatives feed on insects and is somewhat hairier. It is therefore much larger than the other species.
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