One of the 10 shrews on WAnimals
Mammals · Macroscelidea · Macroscelididae
Black and Rufous Sengi
Rhynchocyon petersi
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
Peters's elephant shrew, or black and rufous sengi, 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
Lifespan
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
Fun facts
- Despite its name it is not a shrew: the macroscelids belong to the Afrotheria and are more closely related to elephants, manatees and hyraxes than to the insectivores.
- It forms monogamous pairs for life that defend a shared territory, but each partner spends most of the day on its own.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Dense coastal forest and montane forest of the Eastern Arc in Tanzania and Kenya
- Size at birth
- Born well developed, covered in fur and with its eyes open
- Gestation / incubation
- 42 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 2
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhynchocyon_petersi
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest 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.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Black and Rufous Sengi — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Four-toed Sengi
Petrodromus tetradactylus
Rufous Elephant Shrew
Elephantulus rufescens
Karoo Round-eared Sengi
Macroscelides proboscideus
Southern Tree Hyrax
Dendrohyrax arboreus
Narina Trogon
Apaloderma narina
Southern Boubou
Laniarius ferrugineus
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