The African elephant Cousin

Elephant shrews or jumping shrews are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa,wich ways from just under 50 g to over 500 g and they grow up to 30 centimeters. Their traditional common English name comes from a fancied resemblance between their long noses and the trunk of an elephant, and an assumed relationship with the true shrews (family Soricidae) in the order Insectivora because of their superficial similarities. They are widely distributed across the southern part of Africa, and although common nowhere, can be found in almost any type of habitat, from the Namib Desert to boulder-strewn outcrops in South Africa to thick forest. Elephant shrews are small animals with brownish gray coats.All are quadrupedal with mouse-like tails, and rather long legs for their size which are used to move in a hopping fashion like rabbits. Their life span is about two and a half to four years in the wild.Although mostly diurnal and very active, they are difficult to trap and very seldom seen: elephant shrews are wary, well camouflaged, and adept at dashing away from threats. 

Several species make a series of cleared pathways through the undergrowth and spend their day patrolling them for insect life: if disturbed, the pathway provides an obstacle-free escape route.Elephant shrews are not highly social animals, but many live in monogamous pairs, which share and defend a home territory, which they mark using scent glands. Females give birth to litters of one or three young several times a year, after a gestation period varying from 45 to 60 days. 

The young are born relatively well developed, but remain in the nest for several days before venturing outsideThe mating period lasts for several days and is followed by six weeks of gestation. After mating, the pair will return to their solitary habits. The female then will give birth to 1-2 young in one of her leaf nests. Only for nursing purposes are the young visited by the mother. After 5 days the young are fed mashed insects with the milk, which are collected and transported in the cheek pouches of the female. The young then slowly start to explore their environment and start to hunt for insects. After about 15 days, the young will begin the migratory phase of their life which lessens the dependency of the young on their mother.All elephant-shrews eat mainly invertebrates, such as insects, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, and earthworms.

An elephant-shrew uses its nose to find prey and uses its tongue to flick small food into its mouth, much like an anteater. In some areas of Africa people use elephant shrews as a source of food, but the biggest problem faced by the shrew is that its distribution is limited to highly fragmented forests. Habitat fragmentation limits an individual animal’s access to available resources and makes finding a mate more difficult, thereby restricting populations. The checkered elephant shrew is a swift runner, and can make leaps of almost 3 feet. Its keen senses of sight, hearing and smell alert it quickly to danger.

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