A rare animal that was only thought to have gone extinct because it was invisible to people has reappeared in more than 50 years.

On the 18th local time, foreign media such as the British Guardian reported that an animal that had disappeared since its last sighting in 1968 was found in northeastern Africa after 52 years.

In the photos released by the International Wildlife Conservation Association, this recently discovered animal boasts a cute appearance with large ears and eyes, as small as a rat. Most of all, it is the long'nose' that catches the eye, but the figure of moving the flexible nose freely reminds me of the'elephant'.


The identity of this animal is the Somali elephant shrew, whose main habitat is Somalia, Africa. The reason why it got the name'elephant' is because it is actually an elephant's'distant cousin' relationship. Experts say the lemur is biologically linked not only to elephants, but also to giant animals such as ground pigs and manatees.

After half a century of undiscovered wildfire, the International Wildlife Conservation Association classified it as a'disappeared species' and considered it to be virtually extinct. Until the advent of this time, scientists were aware of only about 30 elephant shrews that were preserved in research laboratories and museums around the world.


Researchers at Duke University in the United States who found the wild elephant shrew said, "The first thing we found was the tail of an elephant shrew. As soon as we saw the tail, we all looked at each other because we couldn't believe it." "We are happy to announce the return of this animal," said Dr. Stephen Heritage. "It is an animal that is not well known in the world, but if anyone actually sees it, they will love it."

This is'News Pick'.

(Photo ='Global Wildlife Conservation' website)