Elephantulus rufescens

(Peters, 1878)

Rufous Sengi

Figure 1. Photograph by G. Rathbun.

Figure 2. FMNH 186968. Photograph by R. Banasiak.

Type Description:

Monatsb. K. Preuss. Akad. Wiss., Berlin, 1878:198

Type Locality:

Kenya, Taita, Ndi.

Measurements:

Head and body: 103-150 mm

Tail length: 100-165 mm

Weight: 25-50 g

Description:

Elephantulus rufescens the colour of golden sand on top and lighter underneath. There is a noticeable spot on the chest marking a pectoral gland. The ears are relatively long. There are white rings around the eyes and a brown mark behind each eye. The tail is about the same length as the head and body.

Comparisons:

Elephantulus rufescens differs from the only other species in the genus found in Tanzania, Elephantulus brachyrhynchus, in having a gland marked by a spot on the center of the chest, and having a tail that is about the same length as the head and body, and white rings around the eyes.

Figure 3.

Ecological Notes:

Elephantulus rufescens maintains trails in relatively dry habitats, and eats invertebrates.

Key Reference:

1. Kingdon, J. 1984. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Insectivores and Bats). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2A:66-67.
2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 148.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2:1739-1740, 1744-1745.
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.