Elephant shrews
Order : Macroscelidea
Family : Macroscelididae
Animals in the family Macroscelididae |
|---|
| Short-eared elephant shrew |
| Golden-rumped elephant shrew |
| Black and rufous elephant shrew |
Facts about the family Macroscelididae, the elephant shrews
Another striking feature of short-eared elephant-shrews is their long mobile snout (the "elephant trunk"). (Full text)
The pregnancy period of elephant shrews is: smaller shrews, 1 12 months and larger shrews, 2 months.
This also indicates that the classification of elephant-shrews is not really clarified yet. (Full text)
In some (constituting the genus Rhyncocyon) the muzzle is so much prolonged as to resemble a proboscis, whence the name elephant-shrews is sometimes applied to the members of the family.
In some (constituting the genus Rhyncocyon) the muzzle is so much prolonged as to resemble a See also:PROBOSCISproboscis, whence, the name See also:ELEPHANTelephant-shrews is sometimes applied to the members of the family. (Full text)
Some scientists think elephant shrews are related to, well, elephants!
Taxonomy The 15 living species of elephant-shrews are well-defined, and their taxonomy is considered nearly definitive (Corbet and Hanks 1968, Nicoll and Rathbun 1990).
The small insectivorous mammals native to Africa known as elephant shrews are neither elephants nor shrews and, more formally, are the members of the biological order Macroscelidea. (Wiki)
Elephant shrews are endemic to Africa.
The majority of Elephant shrews are forest dwellers that often live in burrows, ground depressions, rock crevices, termite mound crevices or under logs. (Full text)
Elephant shrews are terrestrial and are active during the day.
Short-eared elephant-shrews are small shrew-like looking animals, which belong to an own order of mammals (Macroscelidea). (Full text)
Four types of giant elephant shrews are found in East Africa and are mainly distinguished by their distinct color patterns; some have contrasting patches of color and others have bold white spots and black stripes.
Elephant shrews are found in many habitats, from deserts and dry regions to grasslands and tropical forests.
