Mammals
North African Elephant Shrew
Elephantulus rozeti · also called north african sengi
Slipping into a rocky crevice at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, a North African elephant shrew represents a geographic outlier for its entire order, the only sengi species found anywhere outside sub-Saharan Africa.
Overview
The North African elephant shrew, Elephantulus rozeti, is a rock-dwelling insectivore native to desert and mountain habitat across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Its status as the sole elephant shrew species found outside sub-Saharan Africa, strong association with the rocky terrain of the Atlas Mountains, and tolerance for hot, dry desert conditions make it one of the most geographically distinctive members of the entire elephant shrew order.
An order’s northernmost outpost
While every other elephant shrew species stays confined to sub-Saharan Africa, the North African elephant shrew alone has pushed the order’s range north into the Atlas Mountains and surrounding desert, a genuine geographic exception within its family.
Status
Least Concern, remaining present across suitable desert and mountain habitat throughout Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
North African Elephant Shrew: common questions
Why is the North African elephant shrew geographically unusual?
This species is the only member of the entire elephant shrew order found outside sub-Saharan Africa, occupying a range confined specifically to North Africa, a striking geographic exception within a family otherwise found nowhere beyond the sub-Saharan region.
What kind of terrain does the North African elephant shrew prefer?
This species is strongly associated with rocky, arid terrain, including the foothills and lower slopes of the Atlas Mountains, using crevices between rocks for shelter from predators and extreme temperatures.
How does the North African elephant shrew cope with its dry habitat?
This species is well adapted to tolerate the hot, dry conditions typical of much of its North African range, coping with limited water availability in a manner similar to several other desert-adapted elephant shrew species elsewhere in Africa.
Where exactly is the North African elephant shrew found?
This species is native to desert and mountain habitat across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, making it the northernmost representative of the entire elephant shrew order.