AnimaLPHABET - [E]lephant Shrew
Day #5
Today, We have an Elephant Shrew (Macroscelididae) whose name is quite misleading. This little creature got its big name not because of its size but because of its nose, Elephant shrews have an elongated nose which resembles the trunk of an elephant. Also known as jumping shrew for their ability to jump like rabbits because of their strong hind legs. Recent studies have shown that Elephant Shrews are not really shrews, they are more closely related to elephants, sea cows and aardvarks.
The Life Cycle
Elephant Shrews live in a unique paring system, wherein they live in pairs but are seldom seen together. Although they do keep track of each other's whereabouts through scent tracking. Just like a Dugong, Elephant Shrews give birth to tiny hairy baby shrews. A female shrew gives birth to a litter (three to eight) of babies in each birth and Elephant Shrews usually give birth four to five times a year.
What a cutie!!
When a baby shrew is born the babies usually stay in the parents territory for at least ten weeks, then heads off to find its own territory.
The Diet
Elephant Shrews are Insectivorous creatures which means that they mostly live off of insects. They are known to make paths under the overgrowth and patrol the path waiting for prey, it also serves as a direct path away from lurking predators.
The Home
Exclusively found in Africa, Elephant Shrews can be found roaming dense grasslands. These guys are very territorial marking their territory with scents and if a opposing pair enters the territory it will be chased away by the same sex. So basically, if a male enters the opposing male would chase the trespasser away and same with a female.
The Facts*
- Elephant Shrew is terrestrial (ground) creature.
- Elephant Shrew is diurinal (day) creature.
- Natural enemies of elephant shrews are snakes, lizards and birds of prey.
- Elephant Shrew are really omnivorous but mainly eat insects.
- Female Shrew have the same menstrual cycle as woman.
Disclaimer: The facts about the creature featured were not my original works but rather a compilation and simplification of said facts from different articles read on the internet. Cited below are the sources that I used.
Sources:
Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3 | Facts | Facts | Facts
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