Rhynchocyon petersi

Geographic Range

Black and rufous elephant shrews ( Rhynchocyon petersi ) are endemic to central and eastern Africa. They are found in altitudes ranging from sea level to 2,300 meters and are found almost exclusively in Tanzania, in the Udzungwa Mountains. Strangely, there are no species of elephant shrews in western Africa or the Sahara region.

• Biogeographic Regions
• ethiopian ethiopian
  • native native

Habitat

Like most giant elephant shrews, black and rufous elephant shrews live in lowland forests and dense woodlands. They reside in undisturbed forests, where they keep large territories and make nests on the ground from leaf litter. Black and rufous elephant shrews rely on bugs found under this leaf litter for food.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest forest
• rainforest rainforest

Physical Description

Black and rufous elephant shrews are small mammals with long proboscises, used to turn over leaf litter and dig up beetles, and a long tongue to scoop up bugs. They have multi-colored pelage, their front half is covered in reddish-brown fur, while their back half is covered in black fur. Adults weigh 350 to 700 grams, with head and body lengths of up to 310 mm and tail lengths of up to 250 mm. Because they are often predated upon, they need to move rapidly; therefore their hindlimbs are much longer than their forelimbs.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes alike
• male larger

Reproduction

Black and rufous elephant shrews, similar to many elephant shrews, live in monogamous pairs with defined territories. Each animal can make and maintain up to ten nests in one territory, with several nests in use at one time. However, the pair bond is weak; the animals spend relatively little time in coordinated activities, except when a female is in estrus. Males are territorial, especially during the breeding seasons. This species may only be monogamous due to male guarding.

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous

Mating is about the only time black and rufous elephant shrews make contact with conspecifics. Mating often occurs during a very short period of time. As with all elephant shrews, black and rufous elephant shrews give birth to one or two offspring at a time litters of three or four are very rare. Although most elephant shrews are born quite precocial, the young of giant elephant shrews are less precocial and are not ready to leave the nest until about two to three weeks after birth. Little information is available regarding the specific breeding information of black and rufous elephant shrews, however, their close relative, golden-rumped elephant shrews ( Rhynchocyon chrysopygus ), have about a 42-day gestation period and a 15-day weaning period, with about 4.5 litters per year.

• Key Reproductive Features
• semelparous semelparous
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• viviparous viviparous

Females do not spend much time with their litter, sometimes visiting them as little as once a day for a brief nursing period. No direct paternal investment in neonates has been documented.

• Parental Investment
• precocial precocial
• female parental care female parental care

Lifespan/Longevity

As black and rufous elephant shrews are rarely observed in the wild, little is known of their lifespan. However, their close relative, golden-rumped elephant shrews ( Rhynchocyon chrysopygus ), may live up to 5 years in the wild and up to 11 years in captivity.

Behavior

As prey species, black and rufous elephant shrews are particularly skittish mammals, spending a large majority of their time either running from predators, or using their acute sense of hearing and smell to watch out for predators. Black and rufous elephant shrews are not social animals, members of genus Rhynchocyon spend their nights, and sometimes short periods of the day, alone in leaf nests on the forest floor. Because of this lack of social activity, the pairs do not often come in contact with one another. Home ranges may overlap, although, neighboring pairs rarely intersect territories, which suggests territoriality. Even though pairs are monogamous, males will express temporary polygamy if a neighboring male dies. Black and rufous elephant shrews also have pedal scent glands that are probably used in marking territory, or during cursorial activity.

• Key Behaviors
• cursorial
• nocturnal nocturnal
• motile motile
• territorial territorial

Home Range

Black and rufous elephant shrews have defined territories where each animal can make and maintain up to ten nests, with several nests in use at one time. Thus, territories are fairly large, although their home range size has not been documented.

Communication and Perception

Black and rufous elephant shrews spend very little time near conspecifics, due in part to male territoriality, therefore, these animals do not communicate often. Vocalizations are not common, but black and rufous elephant shrews sometimes foot drum or tail slap in stressful situations. These animals also scent mark their territories with perianal, sternal, subcaudal or pedal glands. Black and rufous elephant shrews also have acute senses of sight, sound and smell.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

• Other Communication Modes
• scent marks scent marks

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Elephant shrews are mostly insectivorous, which supported their inclusion in the now defunct order Insectivora . Nevertheless, their relatively hypsodont dentition suggests that at one time, elephant shrews may have had an herbivorous diet. Black and rufous elephant shrews strictly eat invertebrates, using their long proboscis to dig up insects under leaf litter. Likewise, their relatively long tongues are used to flick insects into their mouths. Ants and termites make up a large majority of their diet, however, black and rufous elephant shrews will eat just about anything they find on the forest floor, so long as it is small enough to fit in their mouth.

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • insectivore insectivore

• Animal Foods
• insects
• terrestrial non-insect arthropods
• terrestrial worms

Predation

Elephant shrews are preyed upon by raptors, snakes and sometimes humans. When pursued, black and rufous elephant shrews take refuge in hollow logs, tree trunks or shallow burrows. Black and rufous elephant shrews have acute senses of sight, sound and smell, which are key in avoiding predators. Their hind limbs are also much longer than the forelimbs, which helps them quickly flee predators. Black and rufous elephant shrews use a certain gait when they are pursued by a predator, similar to the behavior of some ungulates.

Ecosystem Roles

Because they use their long snout for digging through leaf litter, black and rufous elephant shrews may aid nutrient turnover, which may in turn aid plant growth. These animals may also act as indicators of a healthy forest ecosystem and host a wide variety of parasites.

• Ecosystem Impact
• soil aeration soil aeration

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

These animals provide very little positive economic impacts; however, they are sometimes hunted for subsistence by the people native to the Udzungwa Mountains.

• Positive Impacts
• food food

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

At this time, there are no known negative economic impacts of black and rufous elephant shrews.

Conservation Status

Black and rufous elephant shrews are listed as 'vulnerable' on the IUCN red list (IUCN), this status is probably due to deforestation and fragmentation of their habitat.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Abby Jacques (author), Northern Michigan University, John Bruggink (editor), Northern Michigan University, Leila Siciliano Martina (editor), Texas State University.

References

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