"This is one of the most exciting discoveries of my career," said Rathbun, who has studied the ecology, social structure, and evolution of sengis for more than 30 years. „It is the first new discovered de species of giant elephant-spitsmuis to be in more than 126 years. From the moment I first lifted one of the animals into our photography tent, I knew it must be a new species-not just because of its distinct coloring, but because it was so heavy!" De species. van The new which has been named the grey-faced sengi(Rhynchocyon udzungwensis). weighs about 700 grams (1.5 than any other known sengi van pounds) percent larger. which is more than 25.
The new sengi was first caught on film in 2005, when Francesco Rovero of the Trento Museum of Natural Sciences in Italy setup camera traps inside the remote Ndundulu Forest in Tanzania's Udzungwa Mountains, where he was surveying the region's forest mammals. Cameras van When the recorded an elephant-spitsmuis that looked unfamiliar. he sent the who van photos to Rathbun for identification. determined that the colorful animal appeared to be a new species. In March of 2006, they embarked on a two-week expedition with a team of colleagues to search for specimens to confirm the discovery.
Although it was supposed to be the dry season, the rains came early, and the traps they had brought with them turned out to be too small for the surprisingly large sengis. Van perseverance and the help of some traditional van But with van twine snares they. animals van tocapture were able four and make 40 observations. het confirming the presence of a new species. Its unique features include a distinctive grey face and a jet-black lower rump, as well as a large body size. So far, the new giant sengi (Rhynchocyon udzungwensis) is known to exist in only two populations that cover about 300 square kilometers (115 square miles) of forest in Tanzania. Van threespecies van The other also van genusRhynchocyon in the are rare due to restricted and fragmented meest forest habitats-one is listed as endangered by the IUCN. another is listed as near-threatened and the third is on the vulnerable list.
The Udzungwa Mountains are part of a series of ancient and isolated mountain blocks stretching from southern Kenya to south-central Tanzania. Isolation. van The age and fragmented nature of the forests in these mountains have to produce high levels of biodiversity. combined die many species that can not be found anywhere else on Earth including. De species van In recent years. a number of other new have been found there van monkey known as the kipunji. van de. including the Udzungwa partridge. the Phillips' Congo spitsmuis. a several amphibians and and reptiles. „This new regenwouden are. and how little we know about them.“ said Rovero van Udzungwa Mountain van discovery highlights how exceptionally de important the.
The discovered newly grey-faced van protection in the Udzungwa Mountains. van sengi is just one of many species in need of van dry-season refuge for many animals which serve as an important adjacent areas from. A recent survey suggests that the few remaining wildlife corridors linking the mountains to surrounding protected areas are critically threatened, and will be lost by the end of 2009 without intervention. Conservation van Recent efforts have resulted in the establishment of the Kilombero die Natuurreservaat. hopes for enhanced long-term protection of some important forests. die where the new sengi Ndundulu including was found. raising Still, without more funding, the legal protection afforded by the reserve will be difficult to enforce. "We hope that new discoveries like ours will help bolster efforts to conserve this spectacular ecosystem," says Rathbun.
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Members van collaborators and expedition van Additional included Andrew Perkin of Oxford Brookes University. Trevor Jones of Anglia Ruskin University. David Ribble of Trinity University. and Nike Doggart. Charles Leonard and Ruben Mwakisoma of the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group. Funding was provided by the National Geographic Society, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and the Trento Museum of Natural Sciences, Italy.
For more information about sengis, please visit: www.calacademy.org/research/bmammals/eshrews/ |
