Karoo rock elephant shrew

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Karoo rock elephant shrew
Karoo Rock Sengi imported from iNaturalist photo 19159851 on 10 July 2023.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Macroscelidea
Family: Macroscelididae
Genus: Elephantulus
Species:
E. pilicaudus
Binomial name
Elephantulus pilicaudus
Smit, 2008 [2]
Karoo Rock Elephant Shrew area.png
Karoo Rock Elephant Shrew range

The Karoo rock elephant shrew or Karoo rock sengi (Elephantulus pilicaudus) is an elephant shrew in the genus Elephantulus . It is found in Northern Cape Province and Western Cape Province in South Africa.

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Elephant shrews, also called jumping shrews or sengis, are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea. Their traditional common English name "elephant shrew" comes from a perceived resemblance between their long noses and the trunk of an elephant, and their superficial similarity with shrews in the order Eulipotyphla. However, phylogenetic analysis has revealed that elephant shrews are not properly classified with true shrews, but are in fact more closely related to elephants than to shrews. In 1997, the biologist Jonathan Kingdon proposed that they instead be called "sengis", a term derived from the Bantu languages of Africa, and in 1998, they were classified into the new clade Afrotheria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of South Africa</span> Flora and fauna of the country

The wildlife of South Africa consists of the flora and fauna of this country in southern Africa. The country has a range of different habitat types and an ecologically rich and diverse wildlife, vascular plants being particularly abundant, many of them endemic to the country. There are few forested areas, much savanna grassland, semi-arid Karoo vegetation and the fynbos of the Cape Floristic Region. Famed for its national parks and big game, 297 species of mammal have been recorded in South Africa, as well as 849 species of bird and over 20,000 species of vascular plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-snouted elephant shrew</span> Species of mammal

The short-snouted elephant shrew or short-snouted sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is found over a wide area of Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.

<i>Elephantulus</i> Genus of mammals

Elephantulus is a genus of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It contains the following species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape elephant shrew</span> Species of mammal

The Cape elephant shrew, also known as the Cape rock elephant-shrew, or Cape rock sengi, is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is endemic to South Africa, although it is a relatively common animal. Its natural habitat is rocky areas. Elephant shrews are not closely related to other species of shrews and to rodents such as mice. E. edwardii has been observed to be a non-flying mammal pollinator of the pagoda lily. Elephant shrews are floral pollinators due to their largely insectivorous diet. Elephant-shrews are pollinators of Hyobanche atropurpurea. It uses its long slender tongue to feed on the pagoda lily's nectar while getting the lily's pollen on its long nose. E. edwardii is also a pollinator of Protea sulphurea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushveld elephant shrew</span> Species of mammal

The bushveld elephant shrew or bushveld sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and hot deserts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern rock elephant shrew</span> Species of mammal

The eastern rock elephant shrew or eastern rock sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and rocky areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali elephant shrew</span> Small animal of northeast Africa

The Somali elephant shrew or Somali sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North African elephant shrew</span> Species of mammal

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, and is the only extant afrotherian within its range. The species was formerly classified in the genus Elephantulus, but molecular evidence indicates that it is more closely related to Petrodromus than to other members of Elephantulus. It was moved to a new genus, Petrosaltator, in 2016. The split with Petrodromus likely occurred during the Miocene period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous elephant shrew</span> Species of mammal

The rufous elephant shrew, rufous sengi or East African long-eared elephant-shrew is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. Found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western rock elephant shrew</span> Species of mammal

The western rock elephant shrew or western rock sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Namibia, South Africa, and possibly Angola and Botswana. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and rocky areas.

<i>Macroscelides proboscideus</i> Species of mammal

The round-eared elephant shrew or round-eared sengi, is a species of elephant shrew (sengi) in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and grassland, and hot deserts. They eat insects, shoots, and roots. Their gestation period is 56 days.

References

  1. Smit-Robinson, H.; Rathbun, G. (2015). "Elephantulus pilicaudus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T165924A21291059. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T165924A21291059.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Smit, H. A.; Robinson, T. J.; Watson, J.; Van Vuuren, B. Jansen (2008). "A New Species of Elephant-shrew (Afrotheria: Macroscelidea: Elephantulus) from South Africa". Journal of Mammalogy. 89 (5): 1257. doi: 10.1644/07-MAMM-A-254.1 .