SCIENTIFIC NAME: ELEPHANTULUS REVOILII

LAST SEEN: BEFORE 1968 IN SOMALIA

YEARS LOST: AT LEAST 50

DATA DEFICIENT

The Somali Sengi is among the least well-known of the 19 species of sengis, or elephant-shrews, which are restricted to Africa. It occurs in a remote and arid area of northern Somalia and Somaliland. Sengi are very swift small mammals that don’t belong to the family of true shrew, but are in their own family that is more closely related to elephants than shrews. They have long noses (thus the elephant part of their name) that they use to probe for insect prey. They live in areas with high levels of biodiversity and a search for the Somali Sengi could also lead to the rediscovery or discovery of new species of other small mammals.