Karoo Rock Sengi

biology_ecology

Habitat. Rocks and scree with piles of boulders with minimal vegetation but adjacent areas of the semi-desert with low scattered shrubs and some desert succulents at elevations up to 1300 m. The Karoo Rock Sengi is endemic to Upper and Lower Karoo bioregions of Nama Karoo, South Africa. Climate is arid, with less than 250 mm of annual rainfall; temperatures in the Karoo can be extreme, ranging from - 15 ° C in winter to more than 40 ° C in summer. The Karoo Rock Sengi shelters among boulders and in rock crevices.

Macroscelididae

biology_ecology

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Macroscelididae

conservation

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Karoo Rock Sengi is unknown. Parts of the distributions of the Karoo Rock Sengi and the Cape Rock Sengi are closely associated. Five localities of occur rence of the Karoo Rock Sengi are recorded in South Africa that occur in 23,000 km?. There are seventeen collected voucher specimens: five from the 2000 s and twelve prior to the mid- 1980 s. Because the Karoo Rock Sengi was separated from the Cape Rock Sengi in 2008, there have been no published reports of any life history or habitat data. No explicit threats are known, but with limited localities and biological data, no conservation assessment can be made.

Macroscelididae

description

Descriptive notes. Head — body 111 - 135 mm, tail 112 - 131 mm, ear 25 - 32 mm, hindfoot 32 - 36 mm; weight 38 - 59 g. There is no evidence of sexual dimorphism in body size. Phenotypically, Karoo Rock Sengis and Cape Rock Sengis (E. edwardii) are very similar, and their distinguishing features are subtle. Traits that might be used to differentiate the Karoo Rock Sengi from the Cape Rock Sengi include slightly more pronounced tail tuft and lateral pelage color that is more of a continuation of dorsal color than transition to a paler gray. For the Karoo Rock Sengi but not the Cape Rock Sengi, there may be small patches of buff-gray hair under proximal nose and near angles of mouth. On average, tail of the Karoo Rock Sengiis ¢. 105 % of head — body length but closer to 125 % for the Cape Rock Sengi. Pinnae are broad and upright, and snout is long, thin, and flexible. Dorsum is gray to gray-brown, perhaps with tinge of yellow. Tips of some dorsal hairs are darker gray-brown or black, giving grizzled appearance. Hairs on top of head and face are similar in color to dorsal body. Venter is gray to gray-white. Color of dorsum continues onto flanks, becoming only slightly paler. Inconspicu

Macroscelididae