latest issue of "The Journal of Zoology "published an article on the discovery of a new species of elephant shrew or Sengis, called Rhynchocyon udzungwensis.
What is much less trivial than you might think, although it is now generally accepted that there are many animal species are still unknown, the discovery of a mammal it is rather difficult. Only among the insects, in fact, there are about 900,000 species of mammals against 4500, numbers that give an idea of \u200b\u200bthe different probabilities and to discover a new species in the two classes .
Also it is not just a shrew, but a shrew 
elephant, named for the trunk of which is equipped. The special feature is its taxonomic status, or in simple words, its position in the family tree of mammals. The Sengis fact belongs to the superorder Afrotheria, which also includes Proboscidea, the elephants that his trunk is therefore not a simple analogy, but it is a sign of kinship with large pachyderms.
elephant, named for the trunk of which is equipped. The special feature is its taxonomic status, or in simple words, its position in the family tree of mammals. The Sengis fact belongs to the superorder Afrotheria, which also includes Proboscidea, the elephants that his trunk is therefore not a simple analogy, but it is a sign of kinship with large pachyderms. Compared to a common shrew, around 7 cm long and weighing 12 g, Sengis this is a giant: it measures 30 cm in length and weighs around 700 g. He lives in the forests of Tanzania and like other shrews feed on insects.
Lastly that the discovery was made, among others, by an Italian, Francesco Rovero of the Trento Museum of Natural Science.
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