The African elephant shrew memorizes every inch of its territory, so that if it senses danger it can make a quick escape. Every morning, the elephant shrew trots around its territory, removing twigs, leaves, and other debris from the paths with a neat side-kick of its forelegs. The purpose of this exercise is to refresh its mental map of its home area, including the spatial relationships of paths and bolt holes, as well as to keep the trails clear. The mental map is much bigger than the route taken on the regular morning walk and if it must, the elephant shrew will deviate from the most familiar path and take a short cut, which it has memorized at some time in the past.
KEEPING IN STEP
An elephant shrew in Africa's Kalahari Desert knows its territory so well that it follows in its exact footsteps when on patrol.
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