Elephant reappeared in Africa after 50 years

A little known mammal related to an elephant, but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered after 50 years of obscurity in Africa.

The last scientific record of the “lost species” of elephants was in the 1970s, despite local observations.

The creature was found alive and well in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, during a scientific expedition.

Elephants, or sengis, are not yet elephants or shells, but are related to aardvarks, elephants and manatees.

They have distinct trick-like noses, which they use to feed insects.

There are 20 species of sengis in the world, and the Somali sengi (Elephantulus revoilii) is one of the most mysterious, scientifically known only of 39 individuals that were collected and stored in museums decades ago. The species was previously known only from Somalia, hence the name.

Steven Heritage, a research scientist at the Duke University Lemur Center in Durham, FS, and a member of the Expedition to the Horn of Africa in 2019, said he was excited to put the species “back on the radar”.

He told the BBC: “We were really excited and excited when we opened the first staircase that had an elephant in it, a Somali sengi.

“We did not know what species occurred in Djibouti and when we saw the diagnostic function of a slightly tufted tail, we looked at each other and we knew it was something special.”

Scientists had heard reports of observations in Djibouti, and Houssein Rayaleh, a Djiboutian research ecologist and conservator who participated in the trip, believed he had seen the animal before.

He said that while people in Djibouti never considered the sengis “lost”, the new research brings the Somali sengi back into the scientific community, which is appreciated.

“For Djibouti, this is an important story that highlights the great biodiversity of the country and the region and shows that here are opportunities for new science and research,” he said.

Eggs of peanut butter

The team set up more than 1,000 locations at 12 locations, luring the skins with a concoction of peanut butter, oatmeal and yeast. They caught one of the creatures in the first trap they set in the dry, rocky landscape of Djibouti.

In total, they saw 12 sengis during their expedition and received the first photos and video of live Somali elephants for scientific documentation.

They have not noticed any immediate threats to the habitat of the species, which is inaccessible and far from agriculture and human developments.

The species’ abundance seems to be comparable to that of other elephants and its range may extend beyond Somalia to Djibouti and possibly Ethiopia.

The Somali sengi is one of the 25 “most sought after lost species” of charity, Global Wildlife Conservation.

“Normally when we rediscover lost species, we just find one or two individuals and we need to act quickly to try to prevent their difficult extinctions from occurring,” said Robin Moore.

“This is a welcome and wonderful rediscovery in a time of unrest for our planet, and one that fills us with renewed hope for the remaining small mammal species on our most sought after list, such as the golden mule of DeWinton, a relative of the sengi, and the Ilin Island cloudrunner. “

Not a puzzle

DNA analysis shows that the Somali sengi is most closely related to other species from as far away as Morocco and South Africa, and places it in a new genus.

The mammal has somehow spread over great distances over time, and biologists are leaving a new puzzle behind.

The scientists plan to launch another expedition to GPS radio tag individual sengis in 2022 to study their behavior and ecology.

Kelsey Neam of Global Wildlife Conservation added: “Finding the Somali sengi in the wild is the first step in conservation. Now that we know it remains, scientists and conservationists will be able to make sure it never disappears again.”

The study is published in the journal Peer J.

Follow Helen on Twitter.