The 21 Basic Mammal Groups
Elephant Shrews (Order Macroscelidae)
Elephant shrews (order Macroscelidea) are small, long-nosed, insect-eating mammals native to Africa. There are about 20 named species of elephant shrew alive today, including the golden-rumped elephant shrew, the checkered elephant shrew, the four-toed elephant shrew, the short-eared elephant shrew, and the dusky elephant shrew. The classification of these small mammals has been a matter of debate. In the past, they've been classified as close relatives of hoofed mammals, hares and rabbits, insectivores, and tree shrews. The latest molecular evidence points to kinship with, appropriately enough, elephants!
The 21 Basic Mammal Group caches were placed for HNY21.