The black and rufous sengi (Rhynchocyon petersi), the black and rufous elephant shrew, or the Zanj elephant shrew is one of the 17 species of elephant shrew found only in Africa. It is native to the lowland montane and dense forests of Kenya and Tanzania.[1] Like other members of the genus Rhynchocyon, it is a relatively large species, with adults averaging about in length and in weight.
The forests of the Eastern Arc Mountains are critical habitats for R. petersi. The Chome Forest Reserve in Tanzania is an isolated, and largely undisturbed, habitat for the shrews. Populations densities in the Chome area are significantly lower than the surrounding areas, home to approximately 2700 R. petersi, and is thought to be the result of restricted migration and illegal human activity. It was once listed by the IUCN Red List as vulnerable, but has since been changed to a status of least concern. However, its numbers are reportedly declining; suffering from severe forest fragmentation and degradation from human expansion.[2]
It eats insects such as beetles, termites, and centipedes, using its proboscis to dig them from the soil and its tongue to lick them up. Like most elephant shrews, it lives in monogamous pairs, defending hectare-sized territories. It typically builds ground level nests for shelter requiring dry leaf litter often at the base of trees.
Several zoos have begun breeding this elephant shrew, including seven in Europe,[3] such as the Prague and Wrocław zoos, along with four zoos in the United States including the Philadelphia Zoo. For example, two black and rufous sengi males were born on February 4, 2007, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., which no longer keep the species.