THE ROUND-EARED ELEPHANT-SHREW MACROSCELIDES PROBOSCIRLEUS (MACROSCELIDEA) AS AN OMNIVORE

Elephant-shrews were classified as Insectivora and were traditionally considered to be insectivorous, although ancestral forms were herbivor ous. Despite the presence of a functional caecum, many authors still d escribe elephant-shrews as insectivorous. Three data sets, totalling 1 43 samples, of the Round-eared Elephant-Shrew Macroscelides proboscide us diet hem the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa, were analysed. Results indicate that this species is largely insectivorous, although plant ma tter makes up almost 45% of the diet by volume. Diet varies seasonally , with the intake of herbage peaking in winter, when herbage may compr ise up to 97% of the diet. The contribution of insects to the diet was not related to either insect availability (as indexed by pit-trapping ) or body condition, suggesting that Round-eared Elephant-Shrews may b e true omnivores, selecting a diet of both insects and herbage. The re latively long large intestine of this species of elephant-shrew may no t be related to the water requirements, but may be a plesiomorphic cha racter that has been retained as a consequence of the higher degree of omnivory displayed by Round-eared Elephant-Shrews, which appear to co nsume more plant matter than the other elephant-shrews.