A sengi species ‘lost’ for half a century has been rediscovered in a surprising location
A small mammal that has not been by scientists seen the late 1960s has been found, and in a new country. ( source and full article- https://www.discoverwildlife.com/news/a-sengi-species-lost-for-half-a-century-has-been-rediscovered-in-a-surprising-location/ )
Sengis, also known as elephant-shrews, are a group of small insectivorous mammals. The Somali sengi had not been seen in the wild there for half a century, and was considered lost to science. It was known from only 39 museum specimens, and was included in Global Wildlife Conservation‘s (GWC) 25 most wanted lost species.
However, conservationists had received tips that revealed the species may be in Djibouti and a research team set out to find it.
“For us living in Djibouti, and by extension the Horn of Africa, we never considered the sengis to be ‘lost,’ but this new research does bring the Somali sengi back into the scientific community, which we value,” says Houssein Rayaleh from Association Djibouti Nature. “For Djibouti this is an important story that highlights the great biodiversity of the country and the region and shows that there are opportunities for new science and research here.”
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The alternative name of sengis is elephant-shrews, due to their long trunk-like noses and resemblance to shrews. Although sengis are neither elephants nor shrews, they are actually closely related to elephants, aardvarks and manatees.
With the confirmation that its range extends out of Somali and into Djibouti (and possibly into Ethiopia), the team recommends that the Somali sengi’s status on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is updated from Data Deficient to Least Concern.
