ELEPHANT SHREW

Kangaroo rat (Dipodomys). also called Jumping Shrew, any of the 28 species of African mammals composing the family Macroscelididae of the order Insectivora (but sometimes separated as an order, Macroscelidea). Some authorities unite them with tree shrews in an order Menotyphla. Elephant shrews are named for their elongated, flexible snouts. Their long hind legs, large ears and eyes, and long, thin tails give them the look of jerboas or kangaroo rats (see photograph). They are 17 to 57 cm (7 to 22 inches) long, tail included. Their soft fur is yellowish to blackish, and most species have a pale eye-ring. These active, swift animals occur mainly in dry, stony regions, where they hunt for insects. They bear one or two rather large young, which at birth are hairy and may be open-eyed. Forest elephant shrew (Petrodromus tetradactylus). The common, or black-eared, elephant shrew (Macroscelides proboscideus) is very long-snouted. Widespread genera are Elephantulus, the 12 rock, or long-eared, elephant shrews, and Petrodromus (see photograph), the 10 forest elephant shrews. The checkered-backed elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon cirnei) is the largest species, with a total length of 43 to 58 cm (17 to 23 inches).