This video from the USA shows a giant elephant shrew; filmed at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.

From Wildlife Extra:

Scientists Discover New Species of Giant Elephant-Shrew in Tanzania

Related to sea cows and elephants, it lives in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania and is the largest elephant-shrew yet discovered.

January 2008. Although there is unquestionably much left to be discovered about life on Earth, charismatic animals like mammals are usually well documented, and it is rare to find a new species today, especially from a group as intriguing as the elephant-shrews.

Distant Cousins of the Elephant

Elephant shrews are monogamous mammals found only in Africa with a colourful history of misunderstood ancestry. Like shrews, these small, furry mammals eat mostly insects. Early scientists named them elephant-shrews not because they thought the animals were related to elephants but because of their long, flexible snouts. Ironically, recent molecular research has shown that they are actually more closely related to elephants than to shrews.

They evolved in Africa over 100 million years ago, and their relatives include elephants, sea cows and the aardvark. Until recently, only 15 species of elephant-shrews, also called sengis to avoid confusion with true shrews, were known to science. However, in March of 2006, California Academy of Sciences Research Associate Galen Rathbun and a team of collaborators confirmed the existence of a new species that lives only in two high-altitude forest blocks in the mountains of south-central Tanzania. Their discovery appeared in the January 25 issue of The Journal of Zoology.

First New Species of Elephant Shrew for 125+ Years

This is one of the most exciting discoveries of my career,’ said Rathbun, who has studied the ecology, social structure, and evolution of sengis for more than 30 years. ‘It is the first new species of giant elephant-shrew to be discovered in more than 126 years. From the moment I first lifted one of the animals into our photography tent, I knew it must be a new species, not just because of its distinct colouring, but because it was so heavy!’ The new species, which has been named the grey-faced sengi (Rhynochocyon udzungwensis), weighs about 700 grams (1.5 pounds), which is 25 percent larger than any other known sengi.

First Seen in 2005

The new sengi was first caught on film in 2005, when Francesco Rovero of the Trento Museum of Natural Sciences in Italy set up camera traps inside the remote Ndundulu Forest in Tanzania’s Udzungwa Mountains, where he was surveying the region’s forest mammals. When the cameras recorded an elephant-shrew that looked unfamiliar, he sent the photos to Rathbun for identification, who determined that the colourful animal appeared to be a new species. In March of 2006, they embarked on a two-week expedition with a team of colleagues to search for specimens to confirm the discovery.

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Aby Rosen via New York Social Diary

Real Estate Mogul/Collector Aby Rosen Silent Partner with Peter Brandt in Art in America and Interview [The New York Post]
MCA Chicago Director Joins Haunch of Venison, London [Art Forum]
UK Corporate Art Spending Reaches All Time High [Financial Times]
Gap’s Fischer Family to Start Negotiations Concerning San Francisco Art Museum [Bloomberg.com]
Lucian Freud Reportedly to Paint Portrait of Actor Jack Nicholson [The New York Post]
Brian McMaster Sees Potential for Current UK Art Scene to Rival the Renaissance [Guardian Unlimited]

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On February 1st (First Friday) at First Studio on 631 North First Ave & McKinley in Phoenix at 6pm six artists are having an art show (XXOH) to benefit Free Arts of Arizona. The show is conceived and curated by Andrew James Benson. The six artists are glen allen, casebeer, sentrock, jason rudolph pena, jenny ignaszewski, and josh rhodes. Spraygraphic’s Chuck b. has interviewed the artists and will be sharing these Thought Provoking Interviews throughout the week leading up to the event.

Spraygraphic Interview with XXOH Artist: sentrock

SG: Please tell us about yourself?

s: My name is sentrock. I’m usually at loss for words.

SG: Where do you currently live and work?

s: Central Phoenix.

SG: What mediums do you work with?

s: Mostly canvas or board…(for now..until I get on another tip of creativity).

SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.

s: I work in layers of emotion. First, I’ll paint an idea I have, then keep painting over it and over and over until I feel I have gotten to a mutual agrement.

SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?

s: Get on my bike, ride around…loose track of time…forget about life…forget about working…just forget everything…

SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?

s: I usually find it, when I least expect it…

SG: Can you tell us a little about your involvement with the XXoh show.

s: I’m showing a few peices…Andrew Benson invited me, with open arms to show my work, I feel its a great honor to show with the other artists. I’m kind of the young kid on the block and everybody is very personal and influential.

SG: Can you tell us a little about what people can expect to see at the XXoh show.

s: Creativity and talent colliding from six different minds.

SG: How many pieces will you have in the show?

s: I believe 9, maybe 10…I forget

SG: Do you have any other upcoming projects you would like people to know about?

s: Yup…the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Contemperary Art, but we haven’t worked out the details yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

ART: 1) Roots, 2) Awaken, 3) untitled, 4) untitled, 5) the eye of., 6) sentrock

Spraygraphic is one of the sponsors for this event.
Use coupon code XXOH on Spraygraphic.com and save 15% on all Spraygraphic merchandise. Also, Spraygraphic will DONATE 15% of all XXOH sales to the Free Arts of Arizona. Valid 1/26 -2/14.