Checkered elephant shrew
| Checkered elephant shrew[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Macroscelidea |
| Family: | Macroscelididae |
| Genus: | Rhynchocyon |
| Species: | R. cirnei |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhynchocyon cirnei Peters, 1847 | |
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| Checkered elephant shrew range | |
The checkered elephant shrew or checkered sengi (Rhynchocyon cirnei) is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae.
Range and habitat
It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and possibly Central African Republic. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.[2]
Behavior
Checkered elephant shrews will mate for life. The pair of them will defend a territory of a few acres.
Diet
The checkered elephant shrew is primarily an insectivore, eating termites, ants, beetles and centipedes. It also will eat mollusks, eggs and small mammals, amphibians and birds.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhynchocyon cirnei. |
- ↑ Schlitter, D.A. (2005). "Order Macroscelidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- 1 2 Rathbun, G. B. (2008). Rhynchocyon cirnei. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
External links
- Checkered elephant shrew on Animal diversity web