Newest Sengi Species Genetically Linked to an Elephant, Size of a Mouse

Meet the newest sengis species: the tiniest elephant shrew from the scientific order Macroscelidea. Though the name for this miniscule, round-eared mouse might sound like a bit of an oxymoron, the west African creature is genetically linked to elephants and even sports a narrow, trunk-like snout.

On Thursday, researchers from the California Academy of Sciences revealed the new species' discovery, scientifically dubbing it Macroscelides micus. The tiny creature joins 19 other sengis species, according to researchers, standing at just 7.5 inches from nose-tip to tail-tip and weighing in at around 28 grams.

Researcher Michael Griffin of the Namibia Ministry of Environment and Tourism discovered the first signs of the newfound species near the ancient Etendeka volcanic formation--an arid area situated between the Ugab and Hoanib rivers from the coastal Namib Desert. As researchers first believed that the creature belonged to a group of known sengi species, they soon discovered specific differences. The mouse's dark skin pigment and a large, hairless gland hiding beneath its tail, marked it out from the others. 

"We knew that it looked a little odd, but it was the genetic analyses that suggested that it was really very different," said researcher John Dumbacher, curator of ornithology and mammalogy at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, told Live Science in an email. "Once we got back to the field and saw several live individuals, it was clear that they differed from M. flavicaudatus in many ways, and that this wasn't just an 'odd' individual."

The creature sports a red fur coat that likely evolved as an adaptation to blend into the region's red soil. It is also noticeably smaller than other sengis, and this newbie's elongated nose is a common feature that can be seen in many shrews not quite classified as rodents.

"We hope to learn more about this in coming field seasons, where we plan to radio-collar some of these small sengis and study their activities and spatial movements," Dumbacher said.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Journal of Mammalogy.