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Macroscelides proboscideusshort-eared elephant-shrew(Also: short-eared sengi)

By Alyce Dohring

Ge­o­graphic Range

The short-eared ele­phant shrew mostly in­hab­its Namibia, south­ern Botswana, and South Africa.

(Shaw, 1983)

Habi­tat

The an­i­mal only lives in desert and semi-desert areas of the coun­tries in which it is found. It hides in the sparse grass cover or bushes that are a part of these dry areas. They also bur­row into the sand.

(Smith, 1829)

Phys­i­cal De­scrip­tion

Com­pared to mem­bers of the other ele­phant shrew genus, the short-eared ele­phant shrew has shorter and rounder ears and lacks the pale rings around the eyes that are typ­i­cal of those an­i­mals. The tail is hairy, with a vis­i­ble gland on the un­der­side. On the hind feet, the first digit is small and has a claw. The fur is usu­ally long, soft, and is an or­ange, brown or gray­ish color on top and a lighter color on the un­der­side. Adults often weigh be­tween 40-50 grams with 100-110mm long bod­ies and 97-130mm long tails. Defin­ing skull fea­tures in­clude an en­larged au­di­tory bul­lae and the ap­pear­ance of three upper in­cisors, as well as a short ros­trum and crowded teeth. Fe­males also have six mam­mae.

(Rath­bun & Fons) (Unger, on­line)

  • Range mass
    40 to 50 g
    1.41 to 1.76 oz
  • Range length
    100 to 110 mm
    3.94 to 4.33 in
  • Average basal metabolic rate
    0.292 W
    AnAge

Re­pro­duc­tion

The breed­ing sea­son is in the warm, wet months of Au­gust and Sep­tem­ber. A fe­male may have many preg­nan­cies dur­ing one breed­ing sea­son. (Shaw, 1934)

Ges­ta­tion for these an­i­mals is typ­i­cally about 56 days and only two young are born, some­times one. They are born in a very pre­co­cial state; they can run within a few hours after birth, are large in size, and are born with hair and their eyes open. Ba­bies are weaned at 16-25 days and reach sex­ual ma­tu­rity after about 43 days. (Rath­bun & Fons)

  • Breeding season
    August and September
  • Range number of offspring
    1 to 2
  • Average number of offspring
    2
  • Average number of offspring
    1.6
    AnAge
  • Average gestation period
    56 days
  • Average gestation period
    65 days
    AnAge
  • Range weaning age
    16 to 25 days
  • Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
    43 days
  • Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
    Sex: female
    44 days
    AnAge
  • Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
    43 days

The fe­male does not make a nest for the young; how­ever, she will find a shel­tered area and give birth to the young in it. The mother does not guard her young and is gone from the lit­ter most of the time, com­ing back once a day to feed the young. (Smith, 1829)

Lifes­pan/Longevity

In the wild, these an­i­mals only live for 1-2 years. In cap­tiv­ity they can live as long as 3-4 years.

(Unger, on­line)

  • Range lifespan
    Status: wild
    1 to 2 years
  • Range lifespan
    Status: captivity
    3 to 4 years
  • Average lifespan
    Status: captivity
    8.7 years
    AnAge

Be­hav­ior

These an­i­mals are mostly di­ur­nal ex­cept when threat­ened by preda­tors. They are usu­ally soli­tary an­i­mals in the wild ex­cept when they come to­gether to mate. When mat­ing, fe­males fend off other fe­males and males fight off other males.

These ele­phant shrews take refuge under bush or rocks but also dig bur­rows or use shel­ters pre­vi­ously built by other small species, typ­i­cally ro­dents. The an­i­mals use the bur­rows like roads to get from place to place. They keep them clean by kick­ing any de­bris that clogs their tun­nels. They also sand bathe to help keep clean.

(Unger, on­line) (Smith, 1829)

Com­mu­ni­ca­tion and Per­cep­tion

Food Habits

Short-eared ele­phant shrews typ­i­cally eat in­sects, usu­ally ter­mites and ants, and other small in­ver­te­brates. They may also feed on plant parts such as roots, shoots, and berries.

(Unger & Kra­tochvil, 1999)

  • Animal Foods
  • insects
  • terrestrial non-insect arthropods
  • Plant Foods
  • leaves
  • roots and tubers
  • fruit

Pre­da­tion

The an­i­mal usu­ally jumps from bush to bush dur­ing the day or basks in the sun, but if ha­rassed by di­ur­nal preda­tors, such as hawks, it switches its sched­ule and looks for food at dusk, hid­ing in bushes dur­ing the day. Also, by using their fore­limbs these an­i­mals can dig tun­nels very rapidly to quickly es­cape preda­tors. Few preda­tors prey on the young be­cause the young ma­ture and leave the nest shortly after birth.

(Lin­coln Park Zoo, on­line) (Smith, 1829)

Ecosys­tem Roles

These ele­phant shrews help move soil around to cre­ate their bur­rows as well as re­cy­cle va­cant bur­rows left from ro­dent species.

(Unger, on­line)

Eco­nomic Im­por­tance for Hu­mans: Pos­i­tive

Pos­si­ble help­ful soil move­ment from bur­row­ing ac­tiv­ity.

(Unger, on­line)

Con­ser­va­tion Sta­tus

Due to de­struc­tion of its habi­tat, this species is la­beled “vul­ner­a­ble” by the IUCN.

(Shaw, 1983)

Con­trib­u­tors

Alyce Dohring (au­thor), Uni­ver­sity of Michi­gan-Ann Arbor, Kate Teeter (ed­i­tor), Uni­ver­sity of Michi­gan-Ann Arbor.

Glossary

Ethiopian

living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.

World Map

bilateral symmetry

having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.

carnivore

an animal that mainly eats meat

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

desert or dunes

in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots.

endothermic

animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.

female parental care

parental care is carried out by females

fertilization

union of egg and spermatozoan

insectivore

An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.

internal fertilization

fertilization takes place within the female's body

monogamous

Having one mate at a time.

motile

having the capacity to move from one place to another.

native range

the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

scrub forest

scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.

sexual

reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

soil aeration

digs and breaks up soil so air and water can get in

solitary

lives alone

tactile

uses touch to communicate

viviparous

reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.

young precocial

young are relatively well-developed when born

Ref­er­ences

Lin­coln Park Zoo, "Short-eared Ele­phant Shrew" (On-line). Ac­cessed Oc­to­ber 4, 2001 at http://​www.​lpzoo.​com/​tour/​factsheets/​mammals/​elephant_​shrew.​html.

Rath­bun, G., R. Fons. Grz­imek's En­cy­clo­pe­dia of Mam­mals Vol 1. New York: Mc Graw-Hill Pub­lish­ing Co..

Regina, U. "Short-eared Ele­phant Shrew" (On-line). Ac­cessed Oc­to­ber 4, 2001 at http://​www.​unet.​univie.​ac.​at/​~a9201952/En­glisch/welcome.​htm.

Shaw, 1934. Mam­mals of South­west Africa, Vol 1.

Shaw, 1983. The Mam­mals of South­ern Africa Sub­re­gion.

Smith, A. 1829. Walker's Mam­mals of the World. Fourth Edi­tion, Vol 1.. Bal­ti­more: John Hop­kins Uni­ver­sity Press.

Unger, R., H. Kra­tochvil. 1999. Feed­ing Pref­er­ences of Short-eared Ele­phant Shrews (Macroscelides pro­boscideus, Smith 1829). Zo­ol­ogy 102, Sup­ple­ment II: 87.

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Classification

Classification

  • Kingdom Animalia animals
  • Phylum Chordata chordates
  • Subphylum Vertebrata vertebrates
  • Class Mammalia mammals
  • Order Macroscelidea elephant-shrews
  • Family Macroscelididae elephant-shrews
  • Genus Macroscelides short-eared elephant-shrew
  • Species Macroscelides proboscideus short-eared elephant-shrew