Sengi

A sengi is a small African mammal in the family Macroscelididae, with a long, flexible snout and slender legs. Despite the name “elephant shrew,” it is more closely related to elephants than to true shrews.

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Macroscelididae: The mammal family that includes all sengis, also known as elephant shrews. This family is the taxonomic group to which every sengi belongs.
Saltatorial locomotion: A form of locomotion in which an animal moves by powerful leaps. Some sengis escape danger with bounding leaps powered by their long hind legs.
Golden-rumped sengi: A large, endangered sengi endemic to Kenya’s Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. Its restricted range and distinctive golden rump make it a prominent conservation case.
True shrew: A small insect-eating mammal in the family Soricidae, unrelated to sengis despite a similar appearance. Sengis are not shrews; their resemblance reflects convergent body shape rather than close kinship.
Afrotheria: A mammalian clade containing elephants, hyraxes, aardvarks, sirenians, tenrecs, golden moles, and sengis. Sengis belong to this African-rooted mammal lineage, not to true shrews.
Insectivore: An animal whose diet consists mainly of insects and other small invertebrates. Many sengis forage for ants, termites, and other invertebrates with their sensitive snouts.
Grey-faced sengi: A sengi species described in 2008 from the Namib Desert of northwestern Namibia. Its discovery showed that large, conspicuous mammals can remain scientifically undescribed.
Elephant: A large herbivorous mammal in the family Elephantidae, recognized by its trunk and tusks. The shared evolutionary grouping is surprising because elephants and sengis differ vastly in size and lifestyle.
Mammal: A vertebrate whose females produce milk and whose body is typically covered with hair. Sengis share the defining traits of mammals despite their small size and shrew-like appearance.
Trail system: A network of cleared pathways maintained by an animal through its home range. Several sengi species keep open trails that provide quick routes between feeding and refuge sites.