Petrodromus tetradactylus
four-toed elephant-shrew
(Also: four-toed sengi)

The 15 species of Elephant shrews are restricted to Africa (Nicoll and Rathbun 1990). The four toed elephant shrew is found in Central and East Africa from Northern Natal to Kenya and Northwest to the Congo river (Grizmeck 1990). It is also found on the Zanzibar and Mafia Islands (Nowak 1999).

Sometimes this animal is found in rocky areas, but usually it prefers thickets and dense forest undergrowth in caesalpinoid forests and woodlands (Kingdon 1997).

This elephant shrew has four toes on the hind foot as opposed to five, hence its common name. The animal is quite beautiful. Its grey to sandy fur is rather long and soft, and it has a touch of orange and yellow hues, sometimes with a wide dark strip on its back and white rings around the eyes. It is named, along with its relatives, for its long trunklike flexible nose used to find a variety of invertebrate prey hiding among the vegetation. However, unique to this species are the long skinny legs that hold the body 3 to 4 cm from the ground.

Elephant shrews are small mammals ranging in weight from 45 to 540 grams. However, the four-toed elephant shrew is one of the largest of the elephant shrews weighing 160 to 280 grams. Its body length ranges from 19 to 23 cm and its tail ranges from 15.5 to 17 cm (Grizmek 1990).

It is not known specifically for this species, but the average life span of elephant shrews in general in the wild is up to 4 years (Grizmek's 1990).

This species is mostly diurnal but major activity peaks occur just prior to daybreak and and just after nightfall (Rathbun 1979).It makes extensive runways through brush. It usually scurries, but when alarmed it progresses to long jumps (Nowak 1999). It may take refuge in burrows and hollow tree trunks when pursued (Rathbun 1979). When it runs, its tail is pointed upward and it makes rapping sounds with its hind feet. Ants have been noted to respond to this with their own noise enabling this elephant shrew to locate them (Nowak 1999). These elephant shrews sleep outside under the brush rather than in nests. The animal always appear alert (Rathbun 1979). Field studies have shown that monogamous pairs defend territories, female against female and male against male (Rathbun 1979).

The long elephant-like snout enables these mammals to find insects within the dense forests of Africa. Termites and ants are preferred. In general, insects make up the largest portion of the diet of this elephant shrew but they eat some plant material as well (Rathbun 1979).

This species is probably hunted by small carnivores, hawks owls and snakes. Avoidance of predators is most likely the reason for their choice of habitat. They are preyed upon by humans, who seek them to eat

Insects being the main portion of the diet of these animals, they are probably important in helping to control pest populations. This may in turn help neighboring farm crops.

There is little known about the threats facing this elephant shrew, unlike the cases of 7 other macroscelidid species ranging from vulnerable to endangered listed by the IUCN as of 2001. However, habitat modification in their areas of the forests of Africa may be a problem in the future. The good news for this particular elephant shrew is that, since its geographic range is greater than some of its relatives, the risks of becoming endangered are not as high at this time. However, in order to preserve the species deforestation must be minimized, directly affecting the local people of the region and their need to make room for more agricultural lands. The future depends on the establishment of protected areas within these integrated rural land developments, which aim to be beneficial to both the biological diversity and the needs of the local people (Nicoll and Rathbun 1990).

Elephant shrews, a group of about 15 species, small in comparison to other orders of mammals, has always posed a problem for taxonomists. They take their common name from their elephant-like snout and their resemblance to a shrew. Originally they were placed in the order Insectivora in the family Macroscelididae even though the main trait they shared in common with Insectivores is diet. They have been grouped with tree shrews, hares, rabbits, hyraxes and primates in the past. Now it is recognized that this small group constitutes its own order, the Macroscelidea, based on its early split from other mammalian groups and an unusal unique set of features (Grizmeck's 1990).