One species, the North African elephant shrew, remains in the semi-arid, mountainous country in the far northwest of Africa.

Elephant shrews use their flexible proboscises to search for food, with the length of the snout varying between species.

[11] Their dental formula is 1-3.1.4.23.1.4.2-3G[citation needed] Although mostly diurnal[12] and very active, they are difficult to trap and very seldom seen; elephant shrews are wary, well camouflaged, and adept at dashing away from threats.

Several species make a series of cleared pathways through the undergrowth and spend their day patrolling them for insect life.

[11] After five days, the young's milk diet is supplemented with mashed insects, which are collected and transported in the cheek pouches of the female.

[17][18] The thermal characteristics of elephant shrews with similar body size, habitat and distribution are very close in most of the classifications.

[20] An elephant shrew uses its nose to find prey and uses its tongue to flick small food into its mouth, much like an anteater.

[21] Some early macroscelids, such as Myohyrax, were so similar to hyraxes that they were initially included with that group, while others, such as Mylomygale, were relatively rodent-like.

[22] Although macroscelids were classified in the past with many groups, often on the basis of superficial characteristics, considerable morphological and molecular evidence places them within Afrotheria, at the base of Afroinsectivora.

[23] In terms of timing, the divergence between macroscelids and afrosoricidans is thought to have occurred roughly 57.5 million years (Ma) ago, in the late Paleocene, while the diversification of extant macroscelids apparently began when the Rhynchocyon lineage split off about 33 Ma ago, in the early Oligocene.

[24] Procaviidae Trichechidae Dugongidae Elephantidae Orycteropodidae Macroscelididae Chrysochloridae Tenrecidae Potamogalidae R. chrysopygus R. cirnei R. stuhlmanni R. petersi R. udzungwensis G. revoilii G. rufescens Petrosaltator rozeti Petrodromus tetradactylus M. flavicaudatus M. proboscideus M. micus E. rupestris E. intufi E. brachyrhynchus E. edwardii E. pilicaudus E. myurus The 20 species of elephant shrew are placed in six genera, three of which are monotypic: