A close-up video of an elephant shrew captured hearts online for an unexpectedly hilarious reason: its enthusiastic eating sounds. Viewers couldn't get enough of the little mammal's fast, crunchy "snarfing," turning a simple feeding clip into an internet favorite.
What happened?
On r/NatureIsF******Lit, a Reddit post titled "Elephant Shrew just snarfin" picked up over 17,000 upvotes.
@londonzooofficial Well hello there 👋 Although they look like shrews, black and rufous sengis are actually more closely related to animals like aardvarks and elephants. Unlike most small mammals sengis not construct burrows for protection and shelter but instead rests for only 2-3 minutes at a time.
♬ original sound - London Zoo
The post shows a TikTok video of the animal — a small mammal with a long, trunk-like nose — eating close to the camera, and the unfiltered audio steals the spotlight.
One commenter wrote, "Loving the lack of background music and actual live snarfin sounds." The original poster replied to this user: "You gotta hear the snarf clearly. It's such a good snarf."
Another Redditor said, "This is the cutest clip I have seen in ages, good grief look at that snoot!"
Why does it matter?
A lot of animal videos spread online because they are cute, but they do not always give people much of a feel for the animal itself. Instead of having dramatic music or edits, the video shows the raw footage that gets a close-up look at an unusual species and the chance to hear it clearly.
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Elephant shrews, sometimes called sengis, are not household-name animals in the way foxes, bears, or dolphins might be, and the detailed look (and sounds) of this video can increase people's connection to the animal just by providing more awareness of its presence.
As one commenter joked, "Why is it that I wanna scream when I hear people snarfin, but when it's a little guy, I love it?!"
What can I do?
A lighthearted viral moment like this can also be a useful starting point for learning more about lesser-known animals such as elephant shrews.
Videos that avoid intrusive filming, artificial feeding, or heavy production can offer a more authentic look at animal behavior.
Two commenters captured the mood in a humorous way:
"A good snarf is music to the ears … SNARF! SNARF!!!!!" one wrote.
Another kept it even simpler: "Snarf is life."
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