Four-toed sengi
Petrodromus tetradactylus Peters, 1846
The four-toed sengi (Petrodromus tetradactylus) is a species in the family Macroscelididae, order Macroscelidea. Recorded adults weigh 187.5 g to 208 g and live up to 7.15 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the four-toed sengi
- Weight
- 187.5 g – 208 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 7.15 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.17src for Young per litter or clutch
- Litters or clutches a year
- 2src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the four-toed sengi live?
Not recorded
What is the four-toed sengi?
The four-toed sengi or four-toed elephant shrew (Petrodromus tetradactylus) is the only living species in the genus Petrodromus, which together with five other extant genera Rhynchocyon, Macroscelides, Petrosaltator, Galegeeska and Elephantulus constitutes the order Macroscelidea. This species of sengi is only found in particular regions in Africa and is smaller than its relatives. A comprehensive record of this species is lacking.
As its name suggests, the species has four toes on its hind feet, and like other sengis, it has been named for its elephant-like, mobile proboscis.
From the Wikipedia article “Four-toed sengi” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Four-toed_sengi&oldid=1376017614), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the four-toed sengi endangered?
The four-toed sengi is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the four-toed sengi classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderMacroscelidea
- familyMacroscelididae
- genusPetrodromus
- SpeciesPetrodromus tetradactylus Peters, 1846
Other names and names in other languages (23)
- Forest elephant shrewEnglish
- Forest elephant shrewEnglish
- Four-toed elephant shrewEnglish
- Four-toed elephant shrewEnglish
- Four-toed elephant-shrewEnglish
- Four-toed elephant-shrewEnglish
- BosklaasneusAfrikaans
- bércoun čtyřprstýCzech
- RüsselratteGerman
- Vierzehen-RüsselratteGerman
- Sengi TetradáctiloSpanish
- nelivarvaskuonokasFinnish
- Pétrodrome à quatre orteilsFrench
- PetrodromoItalian
- ヨツユビハネジネズミJapanese
- KlippehopperNorwegian Bokmål
- Firetået ElefantspissmusNorwegian Bokmål
- Firetået SengiNorwegian Bokmål
- Viertenige OlifantspitsmuisDutch
- długoszek czteropalczastyPolish
- Musaranho‑elefante‑de‑quatro‑dedosPortuguese
- Sengi-TetradáctiloPortuguese
- Четырёхпалый лесной прыгунчикRussian
Relatives of the four-toed sengi
Other species in the same genus Petrodromus.
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the four-toed sengi?
An adult four-toed sengi weighs 187.5 g – 208 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the four-toed sengi endangered?
The four-toed sengi is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the four-toed sengi live?
The four-toed sengi has a recorded lifespan of 7.15 years.
What kind of animal is the four-toed sengi?
The four-toed sengi (Petrodromus tetradactylus) belongs to the family Macroscelididae in the order Macroscelidea.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Four-toed sengi (Petrodromus tetradactylus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/four-toed-sengi
“Four-toed sengi (Petrodromus tetradactylus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/four-toed-sengi.
@misc{four_toed_sengi_2026,
title = {Four-toed sengi (Petrodromus tetradactylus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/four-toed-sengi},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}