Elephant Shrew

Elephant shrews, also called jumping shrews or sengis, are small mammals from Africa. These mammals are very tiny, only 20-30 cm long. They also have short, firm, and sleek fur like rodents. But, depending on the type, their hair can be black, grey, brown, white, tan, or golden colored. Their peculiar long nose lends a quirkiness to these small, fuzzy mammals. Elephant Shrews get their name from their long, pointed head and very long, trunk-like noses. It is one of the fastest small mammals. Even though they look a lot like mice, elephant shrews are not rodents. They’re not even shrews! They are mostly related to a group of African mammals that consist of sea cows, aardvarks, and elephants!