One of the 10 shrews on WAnimals
Mammals · Macroscelidea · Macroscelididae
Rhynchocyon petersi
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The black and rufous sengi, or black and rufous elephant shrew, is a brightly coloured macroscelid, with a black rump and flanks of intense red, endemic to the coastal and montane forests of Tanzania and south-eastern Kenya. Every day it works a network of trails that it keeps clear of leaf litter so that it can flee at full speed. It feeds on insects, above all ants and termites, which it catches with its flexible snout and its tongue. It depends on forest fragments that are becoming ever more isolated.
Weight
450 g – 750 g
Size
25 cm – 31 cm
Life expectancy
4 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhynchocyon_petersi
Best time: All year round in the coastal forests of Tanzania and Kenya, by day; it runs along trails that it keeps clear through the leaf litter.
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