#zanj elephant shrew

[critter-creature-or-beast]

Submitted for classification by @liberhoe

"how about the humble black and rufous elephant shrew? i think creature, but i bet others will say critter"

By B kimmel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]

[mutant-distraction]

One of 17 species of Elephant Shrew found only in Africa, the Black and Rufous Sengi also goes by the names - Black and Rufous Elephant Shrew, or the Zanj Elephant Shrew, & is native to the dense forests of Tanzania and Kenya.

Despite its diminutive size, this wee critter is more closely related to elephants than it is to shrews, and is also distantly related to manatees, dugongs, and hyraxes.

The Black and Rufous Sengi uses its long snout to scoop out worms, ants, termites, roots, berries, and shoots to eat.

To move around its territory, this fast-moving mammal creates networks of foraging trails, which also serve as escape routes from predators.

📸Black and Rufous Sengi (Rhynchocyon petersi)

IUCN Red List Status:

Least Concern.

...But numbers reportedly declining due to severe forest fragmentation & degradation from human expansion.

~ WilderNess

[chillax-with-me]

Also known as Zanj elephant shrew. They live in Africa. Eats bugs by digging them out with its nose and slurping them up with its tongue. Neat

[wapiti3]

black and rufous elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi), or the black and rufous sengi

The black and rufous elephant shrew,[2] (Rhynchocyon petersi) the black and rufous sengi,[1] or the Zanj elephant shrew[3] is one of the 17 species of elephant shrew found only in Africa.[2] Like other members of the genus Rhynchocyon, it is a relatively large species, with adults averaging about 28 cm (11 in) in length and 450-700 g (1.0-1.5 lb) in weight. It is native to the lowland montane and dense forests of Kenya and Tanzania.[4] It eats insects such as beetles, termites, and centipedes, using its proboscis to dig them from the soil and its tongue to lick them up.[5] It typically builds ground level nests for shelter[6] requiring dry leaf litter[3] often at the base of trees.[7] Like most elephant shrews, it lives in monogamous pairs, defending hectare-sized territories.  The forests of the Eastern Arc Mountains are critical habitats for R. petersi.[7] The Chome Forest Reserve in Tanzania is an isolated, and largely undisturbed, habitat for the shrews.[7] Populations densities in the Chome area are significantly lower than the surrounding areas, home to approximately 2700 R. petersi, and is thought to be the result of restricted migration and illegal human activity.[7] It was once listed by the IUCN Red List as vulnerable, but has since been changed to a status of least concern.[9] However, its numbers are reportedly declining; suffering from severe forest fragmentation and degradation from human expansion.[9]

WIKIPEDIA

[mutant-distraction]

One of 17 species of Elephant Shrew found only in Africa, the Black and Rufous Sengi also goes by the names - Black and Rufous Elephant Shrew, or the Zanj Elephant Shrew, & is native to the dense forests of Tanzania and Kenya.

Despite its diminutive size, this wee critter is more closely related to elephants than it is to shrews, and is also distantly related to manatees, dugongs, and hyraxes.

The Black and Rufous Sengi uses its long snout to scoop out worms, ants, termites, roots, berries, and shoots to eat.

To move around its territory, this fast-moving mammal creates networks of foraging trails, which also serve as escape routes from predators.

📸Black and Rufous Sengi (Rhynchocyon petersi)

IUCN Red List Status:

Least Concern.

...But numbers reportedly declining due to severe forest fragmentation & degradation from human expansion.

~ WilderNess

[critter-creature-or-beast]

The black and rufous elephant shrew is officially a critter!

Submitted for classification by @liberhoe

"how about the humble black and rufous elephant shrew? i think creature, but i bet others will say critter"

By B kimmel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0