Macroscelidea (elephant shrews)
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Afrotheria
Contains a single family, the Macroscelididae. Elephant
shrews are endemic to Africa. They derive their name from the elongated,
highly mobile trunk-like snout. The nostrils are at the tip. They have a very
long, thinly tapering, pink tongue, that can curl around the top of the muzzle
to clean the fur. They have large thin rounded ears, and a fairly long tail that
is sparely haired with a tuft at the end. They have large eyes that are
surrounded by a white eye ring. The hindlegs and feet are much larger than the
forelimbs. They walk around normally on all fours when searching for food, but
are capable of large kangaroo-like leaps when alarmed or rapid locomotion is
required. Elephant-shrews occur singly or in pairs and are usually active at
night with reduced activity during the day.
Species indigenous to southern Africa
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