Mammals · Macroscelidea · Macroscelididae

Rufous Elephant Shrew

Elephantulus rufescens

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The rufous elephant shrew, or rufous sengi, is a small, agile macroscelid of the arid zones of East Africa. It has a flexible, highly mobile snout with which it hunts out ants and termites, large eyes ringed with pale fur and long hind legs that let it run at great speed. It lives in monogamous pairs that share a territory but spend most of the day apart, and it maintains a network of cleared trails along which it flees.

Weight

51 g – 65 g

Size

12 cm – 15 cm

Lifespan

4 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaDesertGrasslandOmnivore Diurnal In pairs Savanna Desert Grassland Mammal

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Fun facts

It lives in a monogamous pair but the two barely see each other: they share a territory and defend it together against same-sex intruders, and the rest of the time each forages on its own, in what ethologists call social monogamy without a pair bond.
It gives birth to precocial young: they are born furred, with their eyes open and able to run almost immediately, which is exceptional in so small a mammal.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Dry scrub, bush savanna and thorn woodland with bare ground in East Africa
Sexual maturity: 50 days
Gestation / incubation: 2 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephantulus_rufescens