It doesn't resemble an elephant, nor is it a true shrew. But this newly discovered mammal, the gray-faced sengi, or Rhynchocyon udzungwensis, is the fourth species to join the giant elephant shrew group.
Scientists describe the species as having the legs of an antelope, the snout of an anteater, and the tail of a rat. They may not look like elephants, but the two groups of animals do have evolutionary ties going back 100 million years in Africa. Found in the remote mountains of Tanzania, the gray-faced sengi is the first giant elephant shrew to be discovered in 126 years.
Captions by CNET News.com's Kara Tsuboi
Photo by California Academy of Sciences
