Photograph: Elephant shrew (Macroscelides-proboscideus), Joachim S Müller
Introduction
The Karoo is a vast arid area of South Africa. Shrubs, succulents, and grasses prosper.
The Details
In one area of the Karoo there are three small mammals, an elephant shrew (Macroscelides proboscideus) and two gerbil-like rodents (Gerbillurus paeba and Desmodillus auricularis). There are no other small mammals reported for the area that was studied. Only one of the gerbils (G. paeba) ate plant seeds. The other mammals species were not observed eating seeds at all; they survived on insects and foliage.
The Karoo is different to the North American deserts. Small mammals eat seeds of all types North American deserts, and they eat a lot of them.
Perhaps birds, lizards, and insects eat the seeds in the Karoo. If there is food around, something is eating it.
Related Reading: Lack of Small Mammal Seed Consumption in the Karoo
