It is hard to guess what a Cape elephant shrew weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Cape elephant shrew (Elephantulus edwardii) on average weights 49 grams (0.11 lbs).
The Cape elephant shrew is from the family Macroscelididae (genus: Elephantulus). It is usually born with about 11 grams (0.02 lbs). When reaching adult age, they grow up to 11.9 cm (0′ 5″). Usually, Cape elephant shrews have 1 babies per litter.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The Cape elephant shrew, Cape rock elephant shrew, or Cape sengi (Elephantulus edwardii) is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitat is rocky areas. E. edwardii has been observed to be a non-flying mammalian pollinator of the Pagoda Lily (Whiteheadia bifolia). The Cape elephant shrew uses its long slender tongue to feed on the Pagoda lily’s nectar while getting the lily’s pollen on its long nose. The Cape elephant shrew is not closely related to other species of shrews and to rodents such as mice.
Animals of the same family as a Cape elephant shrew
We found other animals of the Macroscelididae family:
- Dusky elephant shrew with 1 babies per litter
- Checkered elephant shrew with a weight of 424 grams
- Black and rufous elephant shrew with a weight of 423 grams
- Somali elephant shrew with a weight of 32 grams
- Rufous elephant shrew with a weight of 52 grams
- Macroscelides proboscideus with a weight of 38 grams
- Short-snouted elephant shrew with a weight of 45 grams
- Eastern rock elephant shrew with a weight of 59 grams
- North African elephant shrew with a weight of 43 grams
- Golden-rumped elephant shrew with a weight of 535 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Cape elephant shrew
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Elephantulus edwardii:
- Tschudi’s slender opossum bringing 41 grams to the scale
- Naked-rumped pouched bat bringing 43 grams to the scale
- Hairy-tailed mole bringing 51 grams to the scale
- Large Japanese field mouse bringing 43 grams to the scale
- Handleyomys fuscatus bringing 49 grams to the scale
- Chestnut tree mouse bringing 46 grams to the scale
- Dwarf fat-tailed jerboa bringing 52 grams to the scale
- Wolffsohn’s leaf-eared mouse bringing 42 grams to the scale
- Uinta chipmunk bringing 51 grams to the scale
- Greater big-footed mouse bringing 55 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Cape elephant shrew
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Cape elephant shrew:
- Meadow vole with a size of 11.8 cm (0′ 5″)
- Pearson’s chaco mouse with a size of 10.1 cm (0′ 4″)
- Highland brush mouse with a size of 12.7 cm (0′ 5″)
- Typical striped grass mouse with a size of 10.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Large tree mouse with a size of 13.6 cm (0′ 6″)
- Mole-like rice tenrec with a size of 10.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Juliana’s golden mole with a size of 10 cm (0′ 4″)
- Ernst Mayr’s water rat with a size of 12.1 cm (0′ 5″)
- Coast mole with a size of 12.3 cm (0′ 5″)
- Yellow-necked mouse with a size of 10.3 cm (0′ 5″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Cape elephant shrew
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Cape elephant shrew: