| any of several African insectivores of the family Macroscelididae, having long hind legs and a long, sensitive snout. |
elephant shrew
any of 16 species of rat-sized African mammals named for their long, tapered, and flexible snout (proboscis). All have slim bodies, slender limbs, and very long hind legs and feet. Although they resemble shrews, they are not insectivores but constitute the mammalian order Macroscelidea.
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