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Missing 50 years, most wanted elephant shrews found alive in Africa

KOMPAS.com – Mammals that are related to elephants but as small as rats were found in Africa after 50 years of disappearance.

Reported BBC, Tuesday (18/8/2020), this small mammal with a long nose like an elephant was last seen in 1968.

According to reports published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, the creature was found alive and in good health in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa.

Elephant claws or sengi, not an elephant or a mouse. This mammal, which can run at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour, is still a relative of the aardvark, elephant and manatee.

Its long nose, similar to a proboscis, is used to eat insects.

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There are at least 20 species stinging in the world.

One of the most mysterious is Sengi Somalia (Elephantulus revoilii), which is known to be only 39. It was collected decades ago and stored in a museum. Species it comes from Somalia, hence the name sengi Somalia.

Steven Heritage, a scientist from Duke University’s Lemur Center in Durham, US, and a member of an expedition exploring the Horn of Africa in 2019 said he was delighted to find a long-lost species.

“We were very excited when we opened the trap and there was one in it elephant claws, a Somali lover, “Steven told BBC.

“At first we didn’t know which species of elephant shrew found in Djibouti. After we looked at the diagnostic features of the tiny tufted tail, we knew what we found was something special, very rare.”

Scientists previously heard of sightings of gahah shrews in Djiboutti.

Houssein Rayaleh, an ecologist and conservationist involved in the expedition believes he has seen the animal before.

Rayaleh said that although Djibouti residents never considered sengi missing or an endangered animal, this new research brought Somalia’s stingers back to the protected scientific community.

“For the citizens of Djibouti, these findings are important things that highlight the biodiversity in the region and show that there are opportunities for new science and research here,” said Rayaleh.

photo" data-photolink="http://www.kompas.com/sains/image/2020/08/24/101550623/hilang-50-tahun-celurut-gajah-paling-dicari-ditemukan-hidup-di-afrika?page=2" style=" max-width: 100% ; width:780px ">Houssein Rayaleh via BBC News The elephant shrew lives in a dry and rocky environment. –

Peanut butter bait

The team installed more than 1,000 mouse traps at 12 locations and fed them a mixture of peanut butter, oatmeal and yeast.

They caught one of the rat rats in the first trap set in the rocky dry landscape in Djibouti.

A total of 12 sengi were found in this expedition.

This trip also provided scientific documentation related to the elephant shrew or sengi Somalia in the form of photos and videos.

So far, researchers do not see any threat to the habitat of the Somali sengi species. The reason is, their homes are far from the reach of human settlements and agriculture.

The abundance of this species appears to be similar to that of other elephant rats and can range beyond Somalia to Djibouti and possibly Ethiopia.

According to Global Wildlife Conservation, Somalia’s sengi are one of 25 long-lost and most wanted species.

photo" data-photolink="http://www.kompas.com/sains/image/2020/08/24/101550623/hilang-50-tahun-celurut-gajah-paling-dicari-ditemukan-hidup-di-afrika?page=3" style=" max-width: 100% ; width:780px ">A team of scientists found elephant shrews in Djibouti, Africa.  Djibouti has valuable biodiversity, much of which is unknown.Steven Heritage, Duke University Lemur Center A team of scientists found elephant shrews in Djibouti, Africa. Djibouti has valuable biodiversity, much of which is unknown.-

“Usually when we find long-lost species, we only find one or two and must act quickly to prevent their extinction,” said Robin Moore.

“This is a delightful and beautiful find. It gives new hope to other, also most wanted, small mammal species such as the golden mole DeWinton, the Sengi relative and the Ilin Island cloudrunner.”

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New puzzle

DNA analysis shows that Somali sengi are the most closely related to other species from Morocco and South Africa. This places him in a new genus.

Mammals have somehow spread across great distances over time, leaving biologists a new puzzle.

The scientists plan to go on another expedition in 2022. They will attach GPS trackers to the sengi individuals to study their behavior and ecology.

“Finding Somali sengi in the wild is the first step in conservation. Now we know that it survives. Scientists and conservationists will be able to ensure that it never disappears again,” added Kelsey Neam of Global Wildlife Conservation.


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