Forget marsupials, the world’s
strangest group of mammals are actually those in the Afrotheria order. This
superorder of mammals contains a motley crew that at first glance seems to have
nothing in common: from the biggest land animals on the planet—elephant—to
tiny, rodent sized mammals such as tenrecs, hyraxes, golden moles, and sengis.
But there’s more: the group even includes marine mammals, such as dugongs and
manatees. Finally, they also include as a member the most evolutionary-distinct
mammal on the planet: the aardvark. While these species may seem entirely
unrelated—and many were long shuffled into other groups—decades of genetic and
morphological research now point to them all springing from the same tree. Last
week, though, scientists announced the newest, and arguably cutest, member of
Atrotheria: the Etendeka round-eared sengi.
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Described in the most recent edition of
the Journal of Mammology, the Etendeka round-eared sengi (Macroscelides
micus) was discovered in the northwest corner of Namibia.
“It…might seem remarkable that Macroscelides
micus escaped detection for more than 100 years since the first sengis were
being described, but it occurs in a small and remote arid area that is
difficult to access and has only recently been explored by small-mammal
biologists,” the authors of the paper write.
It is distinguished from other sengis
first by its size: the new species is the smallest sengi yet recorded. Only 19
centimeters long (7.5 inches), the new mammal weighs just 28 grams (0.9
ounces), or less than a dozen U.S. pennies. Moreover, the species is distinct
for a hairless gland under its tail, pink-hued skin (as opposed to dark skin),
and a rusty-colored fur which helps it blend into the reddish soil of the dry
Etendeka Plateau.
“Genetically, Macroscelides
micus is very different from other members of the genus and it’s exciting
to think that there are still areas of the world where even the mammal fauna is
unknown and waiting to be explored,” said co-author John Dumbacher, the
Curator of Ornithology and Mammalogy at the California Academy of Science.
Sengis, of which there are
currently 19 known species, are also called as elephant shrews due to the fact
that they sport small trunks. Ironically, they were given this name prior to
the discovery that are actually related to elephants, not shrews.
Continue reading at ENN affiliate MONGABAY.com.
Sengi image via Shutterstock.