| Black and Rufous Elephant Shrew | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Common Name | Black and Rufous Sengi |
| Range | Kenya and Tanzania. |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Macroscelidea |
| Family | Macroscelididae |
| Genus | Rhynchocyon |
| Species | Rhynchocyon petersi |
| Conservation Status | |
 Least Concern | |
The Black and rufous elephant shrew or black and rufous sengi (Rhynchocyon petersi), is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family. Like other members of the genus Rhynchocyon, it is a relatively large species, with adults averaging about 28 cm (11 in) in length and 450-700 g (1.0-1.5 lb) in weight. It is native to Kenya and Tanzania. It eats insects (including beetles, termites, and ants) and spiders, supplementing this with fruits and seeds.
Because it is classified as vulnerable, several zoos have begun breeding this elephant shrew, including the Philadelphia Zoo in the United States. Two black and rufous elephant shrew males were born on February 4, 2007, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. They are now kept at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University.