Macroscelides proboscideus

The round-eared elephant shrew (Macroscelides proboscideus) or round-eared sengi (called the Karoo round-eared elephant shrew to distinguish it from its sister species;[2] formerly misleadingly named the "short-eared elephant shrew"),[3] is a species of elephant shrew (sengi) in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, and hot deserts.[1] They eat insects, shoots, and roots. Their gestation period is 56 days.[4]

For the former subspecies M. p. flavicaudatus, see Macroscelides flavicaudatus.

Macroscelides proboscideus

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Macroscelidea
Family: Macroscelididae
Genus: Macroscelides
Species:
M. proboscideus
Binomial name
Macroscelides proboscideus
(Shaw, 1800)
Geographic range

Elephant shrews are among only a handful of monogamous mammals, making them a model group for the study of monogamy. They have been studied for their mate guarding behavior.[5]

Round-eared elephant shrew (Macroscelides proboscideus), as described by Robert Jacob Gordon in 1779–1780.

References
  1. Stuart, C.; Perrin, M.; FitzGibbon, C.; Griffin, M. & Smit, H. (2008). "Macroscelides proboscideus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Dumbacher, J. P.; Rathbun, G. B.; Smit, H. A.; Eiseb, S. J. (2012). Steinke, Dirk (ed.). "Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the Round-Eared Sengis or Elephant-Shrews, Genus Macroscelides (Mammalia, Afrotheria, Macroscelidea)". PLoS ONE. 7 (3): e32410. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032410. PMC 3314003. PMID 22479325.
  3. Rathbun, G. H. (2005). "Order Macroscelidea". In Skinner, J. D.; Chimimba, C. T. (eds.). The Mammals of the Southern African Sub-region. Cambridge University Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0521844185.
  4. California Academy of Sciences. Elephant-shrews or Sengis: Macroscelidea. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Bernard, R. T. F., G. I. H. Kerley, T. Doubell and A. Davison 1996. Reproduction in the round-eared elephant shrew (Macroscelides proboscideus) in the southern Karoo, South Africa. Journal of Zoology, London, 240 233-243.


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