  While it may look like little more than a long-nosed mouse, the rufous sengi is nothing short of nature's road warrior. Amid the grasses of east Africa's plains, savannahs and forest floors, each sengi maintains an elaborate road network. They keep it clear of debris and learn every twist, turn and escape route by heart. With blinding speed, they patrol their paths for ants, termites and worms. And when predators arrive on the scene, they lead them on a high-speed chase. What could possibly capture the rufous sengi?
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Watch a "Sengi Outwit a Lizard"
RUNNING FOR ITS LIFE
It's one thing to thrive as a top predator in a given environment, quite another when you're as small as the
rufous sengi. The diminutive mammal preys on ants, termites and worms, but according to Ted Oakes, director of
Life's "
Mammals" episode, the east African plains are home to an exhaustive list of hungry killers.
"Sengis are a bit like lemmings," Oakes said. "They're on the menu for everything. From snakes to birds of prey, to jackals, mongooses and even the savannah monitor — they all will have a crack at the sengi."
The
Life film crew captured a sengi's dramatic escape from a savannah monitor lizard. As these reptiles grow, they eventually become too large and lethargic for such frenzied hunts, but the younger monitors are just spry enough to pose a major threat. Luckily, the
sengi has two huge advantages, the first of which is superior handling.
"It felt like watching a car chase," Oakes said. "The sengi's agility and cornering ability are remarkable, and when it's slowed down, you can see what they can really do."
Continue: Playing on the Rufous Sengi's Home Field
