Sengis (Elephant Shrews) from the Late Oligocene Nsungwe Formation of southwestern Tanzania.
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The Macroscelideans (also termed Sengis, or Elephant Shrews) are an enigmatic group of small insectivorous Mammals, known only from continental Africa. They are noted for their rapid movement, driven by powerful hind limbs, and elongate, flexible snouts, with 20 species known today, grouped into six genera. The history and relationships of this group were difficult to unravel. They have been linked to the Mixodectids (an extinct group of insectivorous Mammals related to the living Colougus of Southeast Asia), the Glires (Rodents and Lagomorphs), the Menotyphla (now rejected theoretical group of Mammals which included Treeshrews, Colougus, Primates, and some extinct groups), and the Condylarths (another rejected group, which comprised species now considered to be early Perissodactyls and Artiodactyls). To make matters more confusing, some fossils now attributed to the Macroscelidea were previously considered to be Hyraxes or Marsupials. More recently genetic studies of Mammal classification has led to Macroscelideans being placed within the Afrotherians, a group which also includes Aardvarks, Tenrecs, Hyraxes, Sirenians, and Elephants. Subsequent re-evaluations of the morphology of African Mammals has led to evidence supporting the Afrotherian hypothesis, which is now generally accepted by zoologists.