It is hard to guess what a Four-toed elephant shrew weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Four-toed elephant shrew (Petrodromus tetradactylus) on average weights 201 grams (0.44 lbs).
The Four-toed elephant shrew is from the family Macroscelididae (genus: Petrodromus). It is usually born with about 30 grams (0.07 lbs). When reaching adult age, they grow up to 19.2 cm (0′ 8″). On average, Four-toed elephant shrews can have babies 2 times per year with a litter size of 1.
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 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.
Animals of the same family as a Four-toed elephant shrew
We found other animals of the Macroscelididae family:
- North African elephant shrew with a weight of 43 grams
- Western rock elephant shrew with a weight of 65 grams
- Short-snouted elephant shrew with a weight of 45 grams
- Rufous elephant shrew with a weight of 52 grams
- Black and rufous elephant shrew with a weight of 423 grams
- Golden-rumped elephant shrew with a weight of 535 grams
- Checkered elephant shrew with a weight of 424 grams
- Eastern rock elephant shrew with a weight of 59 grams
- Cape elephant shrew with a weight of 49 grams
- Dusky-footed elephant shrew with a weight of 57 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Four-toed elephant shrew
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Petrodromus tetradactylus:
- Desert pocket gopher bringing 206 grams to the scale
- Cape mole-rat bringing 189 grams to the scale
- Samar squirrel bringing 225 grams to the scale
- Northern treeshrew bringing 200 grams to the scale
- Little ground squirrel bringing 174 grams to the scale
- Andersen’s naked-backed fruit bat bringing 233 grams to the scale
- Island mouse bringing 164 grams to the scale
- White-bellied nesomys bringing 214 grams to the scale
- Banks flying fox bringing 210 grams to the scale
- Broad-headed spiny rat bringing 201 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Four-toed elephant shrew
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Four-toed elephant shrew:
- Mouse bandicoot with a size of 20 cm (0′ 8″)
- Red-bellied marsupial shrew with a size of 17.9 cm (0′ 8″)
- Philippine forest rat with a size of 19 cm (0′ 8″)
- European water vole with a size of 19.3 cm (0′ 8″)
- Black-striped squirrel with a size of 20.3 cm (0′ 8″)
- Samar squirrel with a size of 21 cm (0′ 9″)
- Smoky flying squirrel with a size of 22.9 cm (0′ 10″)
- Cerradomys subflavus with a size of 16 cm (0′ 7″)
- Sikkim rat with a size of 18.9 cm (0′ 8″)
- Smoky pocket gopher with a size of 21.5 cm (0′ 9″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Four-toed elephant shrew
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Four-toed elephant shrew: