It's a Golden-rumped Sengi! - Observation of the Week, 12/7/21

Our Observation of the Week is this Golden-rumped Sengi (Rhynchocyon chrysopygus), seen in Kenya by @mwas!

Mwangi Gitau grew up in Nakuru, Kenya, about ninety miles west of Nairobi, and says he first became interested in nature when he saw tourists “admire and take photos of the huge flocks of the Lesser Flamingos and other water birds” in Lake Elementeita - a saline lake in Africa’s Great Rift Valley. 

Now he leads birdwatching tours for ConQuest Adventures in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, which is where he photographed the observation of the week. 

The Golden Rumped Sengi was seen in Arabuko Sokoke Forest in Coastal Kenya, during an 8 days birding tour…We were on a trail looking at a Red-capped Robin-Chat, [and] deep in the thickets we could hear noises in the leaf litter. We stayed still for a while, and suddenly the sengi showed up on the trail - that’s how we managed to get the photo. The  Red-capped Robin-Chat follows the sengi when it's feeding because it disturbs insects on the litterfall, which the robin benefits from.  

Most of the clients who visit the forest always include it on their wish list, and luckily we saw close to 10 pairs in a transect of 12 miles for a duration of 3 days.

As its common name suggests, this species of sengi (also known as “elephant shrews”) has gold-colored fur on its hindquarters. This is thought to attract a predator’s attention to that part of its body, which has tougher skin and might deflect teeth or fangs - if they can even get close to this quick animal. Most of their diet consists of various invertebrates, which, as Mwangi explained, they find by digging in the leaf litter. The IUCN lists them as Endangered due to habitat loss and trapping.

Mwangi (above) tells me he’s been on iNaturalist for about three years after being persuaded to join by Mike Plagens (@mjplagens) and says “so far it’s a very good learning platform because you network with experts in all fields.”

- You can check out Mwangi’s bio here!

- Disovery/BBC shot some nice footage of a Rufous Sengi (Galegeeska rufescens).

Posted on Δεκέμβριος 07, 2021 1031 ΜΜ by tiwane