// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the North African sengi say? I'm paws-itive I'm in the right desert.
| North African sengi | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Macroscelidea |
| Family: | Macroscelididae |
| Genus: | Petrosaltator Rathbun & Dumbacher, 2016 |
| Species: | P. rozeti[2] |
| Binomial name | |
| Petrosaltator rozeti[2] (Duvernoy, 1833) | |
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| North African sengi range | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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The North African sengi or North African elephant shrew (Petrosaltator rozeti) is a small mammal belonging to the Macroscelididae. It is native to Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, and is the only extant afrotherian within its range.
Taxonomy
[edit]The North African sengi was scientifically described by Georges Louis Duvernoy in 1833 under the name Elephantulus rozeti.[2] Molecular evidence indicates that it is more closely related to the genus Petrodromus than to members of the genus Elephantulus; it was therefore moved to the new genus Petrosaltator in 2016.[4] The split with Petrodromus likely occurred during the Miocene period.[5]
Description
[edit]The North African sengi is a small rodent-like in appearance, with a small body, large ears, and a long tail. It weighs around 50 g (1.8 oz), which is very light compared to other sengis. The total length is from 24 to 38.5 cm (9.4 to 15.2 in), of which the tail is 13 to 16 cm (5.1 to 6.3 in). The fur on the upper body varies from yellowish brown to pale sandy-pink, and the fur on the underside is white. It has a long flexible snout, which it can move in a circular fashion; the nostrils are located towards the tip of the snout, with long sensory whiskers growing at the base of the snout. The rear legs are longer than the forelimbs, an adaptation for running and jumping. It has 42 teeth, with a dental formula of 3.1.4.23.1.4.3.[6]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The North African sengi is present in northwestern Africa from the northern Western Sahara to western Libya.[1] Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation and deserts.[1]
Behaviour and ecology
[edit]The North African sengi typically gives birth to litters of one to four young twice a year.[7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Rathbun, G.B. (2015). "Elephantulus rozeti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015 e.T42663A21289287. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- 1 2 3 Schlitter, D.A. (2005). "Order Macroscelidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ↑ Corbet, G.B.; Hanks, J. (1968). "A revision of the elephant-shrews, family Macroscelididae". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology. 16: 45–111.
- ↑ Dumbacher, J. P.; Carlen, E. J. & Rathbun, G. B. (2016). "Petrosaltator gen. nov., a new genus replacement for the North African sengi Elephantulus rozeti (Macroscelidea; Macroscelididae)". Zootaxa. 4136 (3): 567–579. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4136.3.8. PMID 27395734.
- ↑ Douady, C.J.; Catzeflis, F.; Raman, J.; Springer, M.S.; Stanhope, M.J. (2003). "The Sahara as a vicariant agent, and the role of Miocene climatic events, in the diversification of the mammalian order Macroscelidea (elephant shrews)". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100 (14): 8325–8330. Bibcode:2003PNAS..100.8325D. doi:10.1073/pnas.0832467100. PMC 166228. PMID 12821774.
- ↑ De Lange, D. (1949). "Communication on the attachment and the early development of Macroscelides (=Elephantulus) rozeti Duv., the North-African Jumping Shrew". Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde. 28 (1): 255–285. doi:10.1163/26660644-02801033.
- ↑ Séguignes, M. (1989). "Contribution à l'étude de la reproduction d' Elephantulus rozeti (Insectivora, Macroscelididae)". Mammalia. 53 (3). doi:10.1515/mamm.1989.53.3.377. S2CID 84872848.
