File:Rhynchocyon_petersi_from_side.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Macroscelididae
Sign in to saveAlso known as elephant shrews, jumping shrews, sengis
family of mammals
Macroscelididae is a family of small, mouse-like mammals found in Africa that are known for their elongated snouts and long hind legs. These animals, commonly called elephant shrews or sengis, are notable to scientists because their evolutionary history and genetic relationships have provided important insights into how mammal families are classified and connected to one another.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
In the Vinony graph
Vinony's link graph records 233 inbound references to Macroscelididae, and connects out to Petrodromus tetradactylus, black and rufous elephant shrew and Elephantulus rozeti.
It is catalogued under topics including Afroinsectivora, Elephant shrews and Extant Lutetian first appearances.
Vinony links it to 52 Wikipedia language editions.
Species
Macroscelididae
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderMacroscelidea
- FamilyMacroscelididae
象鼩是一類非洲原住的食蟲哺乳動物，屬於象鼩目（Macroscelidea）。牠們有著很像象的長鼻。牠們廣泛分佈在南部非洲，由納米比沙漠至南非及大森林中都有。其中的北非象鼩則生活在非洲西北部半乾旱及多山的地區中。
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 65
- Family
- Macroscelididae
- Collections
- UCMP, TTU, AMNH, CUMV
- Recorded in
- South Africa, Tunisia, Zaire
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Macroscelides. proboscideus.6869.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- Commons category
- Macroscelididae
- taxon name
- Macroscelididae
- Commons gallery
- Macroscelididae
- taxon common name
- murgañu elefante
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~10 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Elephant shrews, also called jumping shrews or sengis, are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea. Their traditional common English name "elephant shrew" comes from a perceived resemblance between their long noses and the trunk of an elephant, and their superficial similarity with shrews (family Soricidae) in the order Eulipotyphla. However, phylogenetic analysis has revealed that elephant shrews are not properly classified with true shrews, but are in fact more closely related to elephants than to shrews. In 1997, the biologist Jonathan Kingdon proposed that they instead be called "sengis" (singular sengi), a term derived from the Bantu languages of Africa, and in 1998, they were classified into the new clade Afrotheria.
R. petersi skeleton, Museum of Osteology Eastern rock elephant shrew, Elephantulus myurus, South Africa Bushveld elephant shrew, E. intufi, Namibia
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Macroscelididae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.