Mammals
Black-And-Rufous Elephant Shrew
Rhynchocyon petersi · also called black and rufous sengi
Probing leaf litter with a long, flexible nose, a black-and-rufous elephant shrew reveals a body split cleanly into two bold colours, a black front half meeting a deep rufous-red rear across the forests of coastal Kenya and Tanzania.
Overview
The black-and-rufous elephant shrew, Rhynchocyon petersi, is a strikingly two-toned insectivore native to rainforest and forest habitat across coastal Kenya and Tanzania. Its bold black-and-rufous colour split, considerable size second only to the golden-rumped elephant shrew, and long trunk-like nose used for foraging make it one of the most visually distinctive members of the elephant shrew order, now facing growing pressure from forest loss.
A colour line drawn in fur
Few mammals divide their colouring as cleanly as the black-and-rufous elephant shrew, whose sharp transition from black to rufous-red creates one of the most immediately recognisable patterns found among East Africa’s forest-floor mammals.
Status
Near Threatened, with ongoing forest loss across its restricted coastal range in Kenya and Tanzania contributing to a decreasing population trend.
Black-And-Rufous Elephant Shrew: common questions
How did the black-and-rufous elephant shrew get its name?
This species has a body sharply divided into two colours, with a black front half giving way to a deep rufous-red rear half, a striking two-tone pattern that gives rise to the species' descriptive common name.
How big is the black-and-rufous elephant shrew?
This species is among the largest elephant shrew species, second in size only to its close relative the golden-rumped elephant shrew, making it one of the more substantial members of the entire elephant shrew order.
How does the black-and-rufous elephant shrew find food?
This species uses a long, flexible, trunk-like nose to probe through leaf litter and soil in search of hidden insects and other invertebrates, a foraging technique shared across the wider elephant shrew family.
Why is the black-and-rufous elephant shrew declining?
This species faces pressure from ongoing forest loss across its already restricted range in coastal Kenya and Tanzania, a trend that has contributed to its classification as Near Threatened.