AbstractThe spermatozoa of the yellow‐rumped elephantshrew Rhynchocyon chrysopygushave a spatulate head, tapering to a rounded proximal end with a marked narrowing at the equatorial segment. There is a short pointed subacrosome and about 24 gyres of mitochondria were found in the midpiece. The coarse fibres surrounding the axonome show enlargement of numbers 1, 5, 6 and 9. The spermatozoa of all genera of elephant shrews have now been described allowing comparisons among them.R. chrysopygushas the shortest spermatozoon and the fewest number of gyres. The pointed subacrosome is considered an ancestral feature and is shared withMacroscelides. The enlargement of coarse fibres 1, 5, 6 and 9 is found in several groups including members of the archonta and paenungulates, both postulated as being related to elephant shrew