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Grey-faced sengi amongst leaf litter on rainforest floor

Grey-faced sengi

The grey-faced sengi is a relative newcomer to the elephant shrew family. The journey of discovery began in 2005, when a unfamilar species of giant elephant shrew was caught on a camera trap in the Udzunga mountains of Tanzania. An expedition the following year confirmed this as the first new elephant shrew species identified for over 120 years and by far the biggest. The only place on Earth they can be found is in this African mountain range, where the population is estimated to be fewer than 100.

Scientific name: Rhynchocyon udzungwensis

Rank: Species

Common names:

Grey-faced elephant shrew

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Distribution

The Grey-faced sengi can be found in a number of locations including: Africa. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Grey-faced sengi distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

About

The grey-faced sengi (Rhynchocyon udzungwensis) is a species of elephant shrew that is endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains of south-central Tanzania. The discovery of the species was announced in January 2008; only 15 species of elephant shrew were known until then, and the last discovery was made more than 120 years ago. As the name implies, the species is characterised by a distinctive grey face and a black rump, as well as being larger than the other species of elephant shrews.

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Classification

  1. Life
  2. Animals
  3. Vertebrates
  4. Mammals
  5. Macroscelidea
  6. Elephant shrews
  7. Rhynchocyon
  8. Grey-faced sengi

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