It is distantly related to elephants, aardvarks and manatees. Share It might sound shocking, but 2020 hasn’t been all terribly wrong. The researchers collected twelve specimens of the mammal. This adorable little baby was found safe and sound in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, by a group of scientists. Elephant shrew ‘lost’ to science for 52 years is ‘rediscovered’ in Africa. But the tiny mammal with its probing trunk-like nose was quietly thriving in the arid, rocky landscape of the Horn of Africa, researchers said Tuesday. "Usually when we rediscover lost species, we find just one or two individuals and have to act quickly to try to prevent their imminent extinction," said Robin Moore. They did not observe any immediate threats to the species' habitat, which is inaccessible and far from farming and human developments. This article is more than 1 month old . While its body is the shape and size of a mouse’s, it has spindly, gazelle-like legs that allow it to dart across boulders at breakneck speed. In addition to their rediscovery, scientists were surprised to learn of the species abundance in Djibouti. 24 AUGUST 2020 . The Somali sengi (Elephantulus revoilii), known commonly as an elephant shrew, has been lost to science since 1968. It's actually more closely related to elephants than true shrews, and it takes its name from the fact that it has a very long nose which it uses to suck up ants. Somali sengi, also known as the elephant shrew, have been rediscovered in the wild after not having been observed since 1968. No one had seen so much as a whisker. Rathbun died of cancer shortly after the expedition. They caught one of the creatures in the first trap they set in the dry, rocky landscape of Djibouti. The team set up more than 1,250 traps filled with peanut butter, oatmeal and yeast extract in 12 areas in Djibouti, buoyed by speaking to local communities, where people could readily recognise the animals from photographs. For half a century scientists feared that the Somali elephant shrew had vanished from the face of the Earth. After remaining unseen to scientists for 50 years, this tiny Somali sengi, or elephant shrew, has been rediscovered living in Djibouti. The Somali elephant shrew, or the Somali sengi, is related to aardvarks, elephants and manatees but is only a few inches in size. Tiny Elephant Shrews Have Been Rediscovered In Africa After Being Classed As A ‘Lost Species’ For The Last 50 Years. The elephant shrew was found in Djibouti, in East Africa, during a scientific expedition for the "lost species" which had not been seen since the 1970s, despite local sightings. But it has recently been re-discovered and … The Global Wildlife Conservation group even included it on its "25 most wanted lost species" list. (AFP/Steven Heritage/Duke University/Global Wildlife Conservation). irina-18.08.2020. "All the local people knew about this, so it could not be rare in any way," said Heritage, the lead author of the study. The research is published in the journal Peer J. The elusive, insect-eating creature is neither an elephant nor a shrew. The number of new cases is surging and hospitals in parts of the country are filling up. But during an expedition last year scientists found the animals still roaming the wild, discovering that the Somali sengi is not confined to Somalia at all. The team set more than 1,000 traps at 12 locations, baiting the traps with a concoction of peanut butter, oatmeal and yeast. No one had seen so much as a whisker. Elephant shrew rediscovered in Africa after 50 years. .css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link{color:inherit;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:focus,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:focus{color:#B80000;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link::after,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited::after{content:'';position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;z-index:2;}Lord of the Rings toad on brink of extinction, US records highest daily death toll of pandemic. A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. 24 AUGUST 2020 . Image copyright Steven Heritage Image caption The animal is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand . The creature was found alive and well in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, during a scientific expedition. Despite its formidable-sounding name, the Somali elephant shrew or sengi is tiny. Tiny Elephant Shrew Species Rediscovered After 50 Years Thought lost to science, the Somali sengi elephant shrew has been rediscovered in the Horn of Africa. Elephant shrew ‘lost’ to science for 52 years is ‘rediscovered’ in Africa. The abundance of the species seems similar to other elephant shrews and its range may extend beyond Somalia into Djibouti and possibly Ethiopia. Scientists working in the Horn of Africa have documented the existence of a remarkable little mammal called the Somali elephant shrew -- or Somali sengi -- for the first time since the 1970s. The creature was found alive and well in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, during a scientific expedition. The Somali sengi is a small, mouse-sized species of the Elephant shrew that was last documented by scientists in 1968. © 2020 BBC. Tiny Elephant Shrew Species Rediscovered After 50 Years Thought lost to science, the Somali sengi elephant shrew has been rediscovered in the Horn of Africa. Elephant shrew rediscovered after lost to science for 50 years. A mouse-sized elephant shrew has been rediscovered in Djibouti in Africa after being missing for 50 years. Moore said this raises hope for those species still thought to be "lost", including the Ilin Island cloudrunner, a cloud rat from a single island in the Philippines. "Without formal documentation, the species of the sengis in Djibouti was unknown," Rayaleh told AFP. A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. 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The last scientific record of the "lost species" of elephant shrew was in the 1970s, despite local sightings. Elephant shrew ‘lost’ to science for 52 years is ‘rediscovered’ in Africa. The elephant shrew is a tiny mouse that roams the African prairie and has a long tail and trunk like nose. Elephant shrew rediscovered in Africa after 50 years A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Image credits: zoofanatic. The mouse-sized animal, called the Somali sengi, is also known as an elephant-shrew. .css-8h1dth-Link{font-family:ReithSans,Helvetica,Arial,freesans,sans-serif;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#FFFFFF;}.css-8h1dth-Link:hover,.css-8h1dth-Link:focus{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Read about our approach to external linking. "We did not know which species occurred in Djibouti and when we saw the diagnostic feature of a little tufted tail, we looked at each other and we knew that it was something special.". VideoHow everyday life has changed in Wuhan, Unlikely friendships forged through Covid, Grief: 'Everything looks the same, but it isn't' VideoGrief: 'Everything looks the same, but it isn't', The mask-wearing city that bucked the trend, The Syrians used as 'cannon fodder' in Nagorno-Karabakh, I May Destroy You star supports black hair code. Source: STEVEN HERITAGE. The Somali elephant shrew has been rediscovered in Africa after being off the radar since 1968. Share on facebook. 41. August 28, 2020 August 28, 2020 Supertrooper Causes, News, Wildlife. (AFP/Steven Heritage/Duke University/Global Wildlife Conservation). The tiny creature mates for life and despite its small stature, is known to reach speeds of up to 30 km/h. A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. Mouse-sized Elephant Shrew Rediscovered in Africa (News) Scientists say they have rediscovered in Africa a small creature related to the elephant that disappeared about 50 years ago. They have distinctive trunk-like noses, which they use to feast on insects. Scientists found the mouse-sized animal in the Horn of Africa after it had gone undocumented by researchers for over half a century, according to a report from The Guardian. Image credits: Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Kelsey Neam of Global Wildlife Conservation added: "Finding that the Somali sengi exists in the wild is the first step in conservation. A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. FOUND: Romantically Monogamous, Mouse-sized Elephant-Shrew Rediscovered Dashing Around the Wilds of Djibouti. Adorably weird elephant-shrew rediscovered after 50 years lost to science. The Somali sengi has been lost to science since the 1970s, leaving just the 39 preserved specimens held in the world's natural history museums as the only physical evidence that it ever existed. Tiny elephant shrew species rediscovered in Africa after 50 years. It eats insects with its long, trunk-like nose and it mates for life. Other species rediscovered in recent years include Jackson's climbing salamander in Guatemala, the Wallace's giant bee in Indonesia, and the silver-backed chevrotain - a deer-like species the size of a rabbit - in Vietnam. By Helen BriggsBBC Environment correspondent. Video, I May Destroy You star supports black hair code, Gwyneth Paltrow says she 'fell out of love with acting', Covid-19: The mask-wearing US city that bucked the trend, Elon Musk's Starship prototype makes a big impact, Brexit: EU sets out plans in case trade talks with UK fail, Beirut explosion: Lebanon's caretaker PM 'charged with negligence', Joe Biden's son Hunter says he is under investigation over taxes, Afghanistan violence: Journalist Malala Maiwand shot dead along with her driver, The dead professor and the vast pro-India disinformation campaign. The team, which plans a new expedition to learn more about the species, believes the sengi could be living across Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia. A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. Image credits: Mallory Lindsay. By CFACT | 2020-09-01T23:33:29-04:00 September 2nd, 2020 | General Information | Comments Off on Elephant shrew rediscovered after lost to science for 50 years. 27. Steven Heritage, a research scientist at the Duke University Lemur Center in Durham, US, and a member of the expedition to the Horn of Africa in 2019, said he was thrilled to put the species "back on the radar". It is distantly related to elephants, aardvarks and manatees. EU sets out plans in case Brexit trade talks fail, In Trumpâs final days, a rush of federal executions, How everyday life has changed in Wuhan. Strange, 'Long-Lost' Elephant Shrew Has Been Rediscovered in Africa After 50 Years . The last scientific record of the “lost species” of elephant shrew was in the 1970s, despite local sightings. Video, Grief: 'Everything looks the same, but it isn't' Video, Grief: 'Everything looks the same, but it isn't', I May Destroy You star supports black hair code. The Somali sengi is a strange amalgamation of creatures. The team also included global elephant shrew expert Galen Rathburn, who had been studying the creatures for decades but had never seen a live Somali sengi, according to researcher Steven Heritage, of the Duke University Lemur Center. The conservationist said he too had seen sengis during his 21 years doing fieldwork in the country. Now that we know it survives, scientists and conservationists will be able to ensure it never disappears again.". Scientists say they have rediscovered in Africa a small creature related to the elephant that disappeared about 50 years ago. The last scientific record of the “lost species” of elephant shrew was in the 1970s, despite local sightings. It had been lost to science since 1968, but was recently rediscovered. The mammal has somehow dispersed across great distances over time, leaving biologists with a new puzzle. A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. Rediscovery of the Somali Sengi, One of Global Wildlife Conservation’s 25 Most Wanted Lost Species, Delights and Surprises Mammal Biologists. Read about our approach to external linking. By Helen Briggs Wednesday August 19, 2020 The animal is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.STEVEN HERITAGE . Adorably weird elephant-shrew rediscovered after 50 years lost to science. The tiny Somali sengi is related to aardvarks, elephants and manatees. A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. The Somali sengi (Elephantulus revoilii), known commonly as an elephant shrew, has been lost to science since 1968. The last scientific record of the "lost species" of elephant shrew was in the 1970s, despite local sightings. The scientists plan to launch another expedition in 2022 to GPS radio-tag individual sengis to study their behaviour and ecology. Their findings prove that the Somali sengi "is currently extant" and lives far beyond the boundaries of Somalia, the researchers said in a study published in the journal PeerJ. As a result, researchers recommended that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reappraise its classification for the Somali sengi on its list of vulnerable creatures, from "Data Deficient" to "Least Concern". by Elizabeth Claire Alberts on 18 August 2020 . Strange, 'Long-Lost' Elephant Shrew Has Been Rediscovered in Africa After 50 Years . The research mission was looking for different kinds of sengis in Djibouti, the small Horn of Africa coastal nation that borders Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Image credits: zoofanatic. The creature was found alive and well in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, during a scientific expedition. But it has recently been re-discovered and now conservationists are finding out new things about its traits and habits. Long 'Lost' Elephant Shrew Rediscovered In Africa After 50 Years The elusive, insect-eating creature is neither an elephant nor a shrew. He told the BBC: "We were really excited and elated when we opened the first trap that had an elephant shrew in it, a Somali sengi. Shares. The Somali elephant shrew has been rediscovered in Africa after being off the radar since 1968. The mouse-sized animal, called the Somali sengi, is also known as an elephant-shrew. "This is a welcome and wonderful rediscovery during a time of turmoil for our planet, and one that fills us with renewed hope for the remaining small mammal species on our most wanted list, such as the DeWinton's golden mole, a relative of the sengi, and the Ilin Island cloudrunner.". By. The species was previously known only from Somalia, hence its name. AMéLIE BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS, AFP . There are 20 species of sengis in the world, and the Somali sengi (.css-po6dm6-ItalicText{font-style:italic;}Elephantulus revoilii) is one of the most mysterious, known to science only from 39 individuals collected decades ago and stored in museums. The last scientific record of the "lost species" of elephant shrew was in the 1970s, despite local sightings. Tiny elephant shrew species, missing for 50 years, rediscovered. The scientists had heard reports of sightings in Djibouti, and Houssein Rayaleh, a Djiboutian research ecologist and conservationist who joined the trip, believed he had seen the animal before. For half a century scientists feared that the Somali elephant shrew had vanished from the face of the Earth. "Our interviews with local nomadic and pastoralist people indicated that they see sengis regularly and we were consistently told the same common name (Wali sandheer)," said Houssein Rayaleh, of Association Djibouti Nature, who was on the team. The speedy Somali sengi had been lost to science until an expedition to Djibouti. A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. A sengis, Assamo, Republic of Djibouti, February 2019. For half a century scientists feared that the Somali elephant shrew had vanished from the face of the Earth. No one had seen so much as a whisker. Scientists say they have rediscovered in Africa a small creature related to the elephant that disappeared about 50 years ago. But no one knew whether they were the long-lost Somali sengi. AMéLIE BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS, AFP . ... (Elephantulus revoilii), a small mammal related to the elephant, was recently “rediscovered” in Djibouti. "For Djibouti this is an important story that highlights the great biodiversity of the country and the region and shows that there are opportunities for new science and research here," he said. Elephant shrew rediscovered after lost to science for 50 years Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow-September 02, 2020. The elephant shrew was found in Djibouti, in East Africa, during a scientific expedition for the "lost species" which had not been seen since the 1970s, despite local sightings. The Somali sengi, an elephant shrew that seemingly vanished the face of the Earth 52 years ago, has been rediscovered. Share Share on twitter. It is a sengi - a distant relation to aardvarks, elephants and manatees - the size of a mouse, with powerful legs that allow it to run at speeds of nearly 30 kilometres (20 miles) an hour. Before now, the Somali sengi was last documented 52 years ago in 1962. But Sengis, known as the elephant shrew, is only a few inches long, resembling a mouse, and it was lost to science for at least half a century – until being rediscovered in the Horn of Africa. He said while people living in Djibouti never considered the sengis to be "lost", the new research brings the Somali sengi back into the scientific community, which is valued. VideoI May Destroy You star supports black hair code, Beauty professionals hope for a prettier picture. The scientists had heard reports of mysterious sightings in Djibouti, so they decided to go there and see for themselves. But the tiny mammal with its probing trunk-like nose was quietly thriving in the arid, rocky landscape of the … "Usually when we rediscover lost species, we find just one or two individuals and have to act quickly to try to prevent their imminent extinction," said Robin Moore of Global Wildlife Conservation. The scientists had to set around 1000 traps at 12 different locations to capture these beauties. And while they cannot estimate the size of the population, they believe the sengi is thriving. Detained Canadians in China get rare consular access . Share Share on pinterest. 0. The tiny Somali sengi is related to aardvarks, elephants and manatees. The Somali sengi was rediscovered in August after being missing for over 50 years. ‘Long-lost’ elephant shrew rediscovered after 50 years Josh K. Elliott. Elephant shrew rediscovered in Horn of Africa after 50 years . 2020-08-19. 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Elephant shrews, or sengis, are neither elephants nor shrews, but related to aardvarks, elephants and manatees. © ScienceAlert Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. In total, they saw 12 sengis during their expedition and obtained the first-ever photos and video of live Somali elephant shrews for scientific documentation. DNA analysis shows that the Somali sengi is most closely related to other species from as far away as Morocco and South Africa, placing it in a new genus. .css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity. "So when he opened the first trap and looked over at me, and he had seen the cute tufted furry tail of the animal and he looked at me and said 'I can't believe it, I've never seen one before'," Heritage told AFP. "And its habitats are not threatened by agriculture and human development, in a very arid environment where there is no foreseeable future for agriculture.". Offbeat Agence France-Presse Lord of the Rings toad on brink of extinction, How everyday life has changed in Wuhan. The Somali sengi is one of the 25 "most wanted lost species" of the charity, Global Wildlife Conservation. But Sengis, known as the elephant shrew, is only a few inches long, resembling a mouse, and it was lost to science for at least half a century – until being rediscovered in the Horn of Africa. Time, leaving biologists with a new puzzle living in Djibouti, a country in the 1970s, local! Revoilii ), a country in the Horn of Africa, during a expedition... Neam of Global Wildlife Conservation ’ s 25 most wanted lost species of... Mouse that roams the African elephant shrew rediscovered and has a long tail and trunk like nose reports of sightings! 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