A new mammal has been discovered in the mountains of Tanzania.
The Rhynochocyon udzungwensis is a type of giant shrew, also known as a sengi, was caught on camera. Roughly the size of a small housecat, it looks kind of like an anteater, with a long, narrow snout and bristly, rust-colored hair all over its body.
Despite the name, the creature actually is not related to the shrew. Elephant shrews are only found in Africa and the name comes from a mistake made by those who first discovered them, due to their physical similarities to shrews from Europe and America. It really is related to anteaters, however.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment