Pairs establish neighboring home ranges of about 1.7 ha. Home ranges are defended on a sex-specific basis, i.e. females will chase off intruding females, males will chase off other males. If threatened, either by a predator or a congeneric intruder, elephant shrews will display tail-slapping behavior where they repeatedly slap the forest floor with their tail. If further disturbed, they will run while slapping the ground with their hind legs. These auditory cues may help to warn other elephant shrews of the presence of a predator.
Elephant shrews are diurnal and sleep at night in nests on the forest floor.
Nests are always constructed in the early morning by excavating a hollow in the soil, lining it with leaves and layering over the top with dry leaves. The coastal forest where these animals live is being cleared for agriculture. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Facts on File. American Society of Mammalogists.