[2] They are a ground-dwelling mammal, significantly larger than their relatives in the order Macroscelidea that live primarily in dense forests across eastern Africa.

They are typically active in the day (diurnal), spending their nights hidden in the shelters that they build the morning prior.

[15] They eat primarily insects such as beetles, termites, ants, and centipedes, using their proboscises to dig them from the soil and its tongue to lick them up.

The darker species R. petersi, R. chrysopygus, and R. udzungwensis still contain vestigial chequers, but are masked by the blended dark fur between them.

[12][17] The species are described as follows: R. chrysopygus R. stuhlmanni R. cirnei R. udzungwensis R. petersi The genus' taxonomic status has been difficult to determine due to the very close similarities between populations.

[4] Close genetic relatedness indicates that the common ancestor of the genus lived around 7.9 million years ago (Ma).

[20] This large gap between estimated divergence time of the genus indicates that M. meswae and O. songwensis species are likely stem taxa of the entire group.

[22] Eorhynchocyon (E. rupestris) is the oldest fossil species similar to giant sengis, but containing intermediate traits to those of Elephantulus and Petrodromus.

[22] Various classification issues still exist, with several undetermined questions left unresolved:[4] Mitochondrial DNA sequencing was conducted on a single specimen (dubbed the Boni giant sengi) from the Dodori and Boni national reserves in Kenya,[4] as there was suspicion that there may be another species present based on specimen capture, sightings, and camera trap images.

[4] A later DNA comparison supported a designation of a new subspecies, Rhynchocyon chrysopygus mandelai as it diverges in pelage and is allopatric to R.

Bergmann's rule suggests that specialized ecological factors such as climate and temperature would favor larger bodies like that of R. udzungwensis, though the latter two species do not share this trait.

[2] The Arabuko-Sokoke Forest provides only 395.4 km2 of suitable habitat, with an additional 30 km2 available in non-forest, isolated, scrub and degraded woodland fragments.

[33] Tiny forest fragments put R. chrysopygus at greater risk of localized extinction due to agricultural clearing, harvesting of trees, and fires.

[34] To illustrate the severe reduction of habitat over time, R. chrysopygus used to occupy uninterrupted coastal forests that spanned from Mombasa all the way to the Tana River.

[7] The greatest issue facing R. chrysopygus from forest reduction is that removing trees eliminates tree-trunk hollows, thick leaf litter, and covered canopy—all critically important for survival and reproduction.

[2] Human-driven pressures have not declined, with continued logging, hunting, and even a 2015 proposal to extract fossil fuels from parts of the forest.

[39] In the Central African Republic, only a single specimen of R. cirnei (which would technically now be R. stuhlmanni) has been found to the west of the Ubangi River, indicating an exaggerated distribution.

[28] Distributions within the Eastern Arc Mountains are patchy, and are threatened due to decreasing forested areas, fragmentation, and the reduction of habitat quality from human activity.

[40] One population of concern is the extremely small isolated range of R. cirnei (which would technically now be R. stuhlmanni) individuals in the Mabira Forest east of Kampala.

[28] R. petersi is listed as Least Concern with the IUCN;[29] however, the species distribution is discontinuous due to human-caused habitat fragmentation that has created a mosaic of forest patches, parks, and reserves.

[29] Since forest fragmentation is the greatest threat to R. petersi, conservation focuses on the local drivers of this process: agricultural expansion and logging for firewood, charcoal production, and woodcarving.

[45] Since the two forests exist entirely within the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and Kilombero Nature Reserve, R. udzungwensis is protected from being used as food and for trade; though funding is low and ranger monitoring is limited.