Add an animal to the list of life

Zoologists have identified a shrew-like creature, called gray-faced sengi, who lives in a small community in remote Tanzania. This is a rare discovery of a new animal.

The new gray-faced sengi has just been discovered.(Photo: AFP)

Sengis - a group of animals that eat small, hairy insects that live in forests - also known as elephant shrews. So far, science has only recorded 15 species of this group, but the new animal is actually an exception, the researchers say.

The new animal found, standing taller than their cousins ​​both heads, weighed about 700 grams, and 25% larger than any known sengi.

" This is one of the most interesting findings of my career ," said Galen Rathbun, of the California Institute of Science, USA. " This is the first giant elephant shrew to be discovered in more than 126 years ," he said.

So far, two populations have been found, distributed in an area of ​​about 300 square kilometers of forest. This animal was first discovered on camera traps in 2005.