How many baby Four-toed elephant shrews are in a litter?
A Four-toed elephant shrew (Petrodromus tetradactylus) usually gives birth to around 1 babies.With 2 litters per year, that sums up to a yearly offspring of 2 babies.
Upon birth, they weight 30 grams (0.07 lbs) and measure 9.2 cm (0′ 4″). They are a member of the Macroscelididae family (genus: Petrodromus). An adult Four-toed elephant shrew grows up to a size of 19.2 cm (0′ 8″).
To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.
The four-toed elephant shrew or four-toed sengi is the only living species in the genus Petrodromus, which together with four other extant genera Rhynchocyon, Macroscelides, Petrosaltator, and Elephantulus constitutes the order Macroscelidea. This species is only found in particular regions in Africa and is smaller in size compared to its relatives. A comprehensive recording of this species is lacking.As its name suggests, the species has four toes on its hind feet, and like other elephant shrews, it has been named for its elephant-like, mobile proboscis.
Other animals of the family Macroscelididae
Four-toed elephant shrew is a member of the Macroscelididae, as are these animals:
- Cape elephant shrew with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Short-snouted elephant shrew with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Black and rufous elephant shrew with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Somali elephant shrew weighting only 32 grams
- Macroscelides proboscideus with 1 babies per pregnancy
- North African elephant shrew with 2 babies per pregnancy
- Dusky elephant shrew with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Western rock elephant shrew with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Golden-rumped elephant shrew with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Rufous elephant shrew with 1 babies per pregnancy
Animals that share a litter size with Four-toed elephant shrew
Those animals also give birth to 1 babies at once:
- Tufted capuchin
- Killer whale
- Nilgiri langur
- Grey-cheeked mangabey
- Four-horned antelope
- Koslov’s pika
- Iberian ibex
- Guam flying fox
- Southern African vlei rat
- Pygmy slow loris
Animals with the same weight as a Four-toed elephant shrew
What other animals weight around 201 grams (0.44 lbs)?
- Piute ground squirrel weighting 165 grams
- Goldman’s woodrat weighting 198 grams
- Washington ground squirrel weighting 215 grams
- Cameroon scaly-tail weighting 200 grams
- Sangihe tarsier weighting 165 grams
- Black-striped squirrel weighting 209 grams
- Big-eared woodrat weighting 225 grams
- American red squirrel weighting 200 grams
- Lesser bandicoot rat weighting 227 grams
- Brandt’s hedgehog weighting 213 grams
Animals with the same size as a Four-toed elephant shrew
Also reaching around 19.2 cm (0′ 8″) in size do these animals:
- Solomon’s naked-backed fruit bat gets as big as 17.4 cm (0′ 7″)
- Haig’s tuco-tuco gets as big as 17.3 cm (0′ 7″)
- Sierra Madre ground squirrel gets as big as 17.2 cm (0′ 7″)
- Summit rat gets as big as 19 cm (0′ 8″)
- Mexican ground squirrel gets as big as 19.3 cm (0′ 8″)
- Pygmy ringtail possum gets as big as 19.8 cm (0′ 8″)
- Vogelkop ringtail possum gets as big as 21.6 cm (0′ 9″)
- Common dwarf mongoose gets as big as 20.2 cm (0′ 8″)
- Colombian weasel gets as big as 21.5 cm (0′ 9″)
- Bornean mountain ground squirrel gets as big as 20.3 cm (0′ 8″)