The Black and Rufous Elephant Shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi), also known as the Black and Rufous Sengi, is one of 16 species of elephant shrew

Elephant shrew

Elephant shrews or jumping shrews are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea...

 alive today in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. As other members of the genus Rhynchocyon

Rhynchocyon

Rhynchocyon is a genus of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. Members of this genus are known colloquially as the checkered elephant shrews.It contains the following four species:*Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew, Rhynchocyon chrysopygus...

, it is a relatively large species, with adults averaging c. 28 cm (11 in) in length and 450-700 g (1-1.5 lb) in weight. It is endemic to Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

 and Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

. It eats insects and small mammals (especially the Black Rat) as well as vegetation.

Because they are classified as vulnerable

Vulnerable species

On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...

, several zoo

Zoo

A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....

s have begun breeding these elephant shrews, including the Philadelphia Zoo

Philadelphia Zoo

The Philadelphia Zoo, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, was the first zoo in the United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 21, 1859, its opening was delayed by the American Civil War until July 1, 1874...

, which has a successful breeding program. Two Black and Rufous Elephant Shrew brothers were born on February 4th 2007 at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC. They now reside, for the time being, at the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, CT as part of the Tree of Life Exhibit.

See also

• Elephant Shrew
  Elephant shrew
  Elephant shrews or jumping shrews are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea...
  
  
• Fauna of Africa
  Fauna of Africa
  Fauna of Africa, in its broader sense, is all the animals living on the African continent and its surrounding seas and islands. The more characteristic African fauna is found in the Afrotropical ecoregion - formerly called Ethiopian...
  
  
• Rhynchocyon
  Rhynchocyon
  Rhynchocyon is a genus of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. Members of this genus are known colloquially as the checkered elephant shrews.It contains the following four species:*Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew, Rhynchocyon chrysopygus...
  
  

External links

• http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/SmallMammals/fact-elephantshrew.cfm
• http://www.naturalsciences.be/institute/associations/rbzs_website/bjz/back/pdf/BJZ%20135(s1)/135_s1_175_177html/Volume%20135(s1),%20pp.%20175-177s.html