Mammals
Four-Toed Sengi
Petrodromus tetradactylus · also called four-toed elephant shrew
Drumming its hind feet rapidly against the forest floor as a warning to nearby relatives, a four-toed sengi reveals the missing digit that sets it apart from almost every other elephant shrew species, the sole member of its own distinct genus.
Overview
The four-toed sengi, Petrodromus tetradactylus, is a distinctively footed insectivore native to forest and coastal habitat extending along much of East Africa’s coastline, from Kenya to Mozambique. Its unusual four-toed hind feet, status as the only species in its genus, and foot-drumming alarm behaviour make it one of the more physically and behaviourally distinctive members of the elephant shrew order.
A missing toe with an outsized identity
A single missing digit might seem like a minor anatomical quirk, but for this species it has become the defining feature behind both its common name and its recognition as taxonomically distinct enough to warrant an entire genus of its own.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across suitable forest and coastal habitat throughout East Africa.
Four-Toed Sengi: common questions
Why is it called the four-toed sengi?
This species has only four toes on each hind foot, compared with the five toes found on most other elephant shrew species, an unusual foot structure that gives rise to the species' descriptive common name.
Is the four-toed sengi closely related to other elephant shrews?
This species is the only member of its genus, Petrodromus, distinguishing it taxonomically from the more diverse Elephantulus and Rhynchocyon genera, even though it shares the same general body plan and foraging style as its wider elephant shrew relatives.
What is the drumming sound a four-toed sengi makes?
This species can produce a drumming sound by rapidly striking the ground with its hind feet, a behaviour thought to serve as an alarm signal warning other individuals of nearby danger.
Where does the four-toed sengi live?
This species is native to forest and coastal habitat across a range extending along much of East Africa's coastline, from Kenya to Mozambique, making it one of the more widely distributed elephant shrew species along that stretch of coast.