Somali elephant shrew explained

The Somali elephant shrew or Somali sengi (Galegeeska revoilii) is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae.

Habitat

Its natural habitat is arid and semiarid desert with rocky substrates and sparse shrubs. In some parts of Somalia, the Somali sengi and rufous sengi (G. rufescens) may be locally sympatric. It is found in the northern Horn of Africa; it was formerly thought to be exclusively endemic to Somalia, but a 2020 sighting also indicates they are found in Djibouti and potentially Ethiopia.

Classification

It was formerly classified in the genus Elephantulus, but a 2020 study found it to be the sister taxon of the clade containing the genera Petrodromus and Petrosaltator; and the genus Galegeeska was coined for it.^[1]

Disappearance and rediscovery

The Somali sengi was among the 25 "most wanted lost" species that were the focus of Global Wildlife Conservation's “Search for Lost Species” initiative.^[2] On 18 August 2020, 50 years after it was last seen and recorded, it was announced that a population had been found in Djibouti, the first documented since 1968.^{[3] [4] [5]}

Notes and References

1. Heritage. S.. Rayaleh. H.. Awaleh. D.G.. Rathbun. G.B.. 2020. New records of a lost species and a geographic range expansion for sengis in the Horn of Africa. PeerJ. 8. e9652. 10.7717/peerj.9652. 7441985. 32879790. free.
2. Web site: The Search for Lost Species. Global Wildlife Conservation. en-US.
3. Web site: 18 August 2020 . Damian . Carrington . Tiny elephant shrew species, missing for 50 years, rediscovered. The Guardian. en-GB . 18 August 2020.
4. Helen Briggs: Elephant shrew rediscovered in Africa after 50 years, on: BBC news, 18 August 2020
5. Enrico de Lazaro: Scientists Rediscover Long-Lost Species of Mammal: Somali Sengi, on: sci-news, 20 August 2020