#Tenrecidae

[snototter]

A group of common tenrecs (Tenrec ecaudatus) in Anjiro, Toamasina, Madagascar

by Dominique Schreckling

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Talented Tenrecs

The lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) is a member of the extraordinarily Tenrecidae family, which is found exclusively on Madagascar. This particular species resides on the east side of the island, in tropical rainforests. Their range can also overlap with their cousins the highland streaked tenrec, which inhabits both rainforests and savannas.

This species is quite small, ranging from only 140-172 mm (5.5- 6.8 in) in length and weighing 280 g (9.9 oz) at maximum. Despite their stature, they are hard to overlook as their coloration-- black with a bright yellow or orange crest and stripes-- can be quite striking. In many ways H. semispinosis resembles shrews and hedgehogs; the body-shape is round, with an elongated snout and large claws for digging. Like hedgehogs, the lownald tenrec also sports large quills along the length of its body as a means of protection. However, tenrecs are not at all related to hedgehogs and the resemblence is entirely due to convergent evolution.

In addition to acting as an impenetrable defence, the lowland tenrec's spines are also used for communication. When rubbed together the quills create a high-pitched sound that members of a group use to alert each other and warns away potential predators like snakes, fossas, mongooses, and civets. This species is the only known mammal to use this method of communication, which is more commonly found in insects and snakes.

H. semispinosis can be found either on their own or living in groups of up to 25, all of whom reside in underground burrows. Individuals spend most of their time foraging for their primary food source, worms, and is active both during the day and at night. However, during the winter months of June and July they may enter a state of hibernation known as torpor, during which they decrease their heart rates and metabolism.

Reproduction occurs during the rainy season, from November to May, though in ideal conditions the lowland streaked tenrec can breed year-round. Reproductively active males will spar one another for access to females, though females will also resist mating if they aren't receptive to the male. Pregnancy lasts about 58 days, after which the mother gives birth to an average of 6 young. The babies take less than a month to wean, and become fully mature at only 40 days old. On average, individuals can live about 30 months in captivity.

Conservation status: Within their range, the lowland tenrec is highly abundant and has a stable population, so is rated Least Concern by the IUCN.

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a ko-fi!

Photos

Harald Schütz

Desire Darling

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Have we done the tenrec or the goblin shark?

I've done some of the more well-known tenrecs, but I can do another :) I'll queue up goblin shark next for you as well!

Photos thanks to Harald Schütz & Klaus Rudloff. These seem to be a paler yellow than the lowland streaked tenrec, very fun! Otherwise they seem visually similar.

[internetdruid]

🥚

Lowland Streaked Tenrec!

(Hemicentetes semispinosus)

[faunalregion]

[yangularoo]

Tailless Tenrec

Redbubble

[mcm-curiosity]

These little guys can be called the reverse crab because every species and subspecies has taken a vastly different form but none are crab-like.

Due to extreme isolation convergent evolution has shaped them to be like shrews, possums, hedgehogs, rats, and more! They have ecological niches in aquatic, arboreal, terrestrial, and subterranean environments all across that massive island.

Everyone please. Please look at this animal. It’s called a tenrec and they live in Madagascar and lOOK AT IT!!!!!!! He’s just a little guy! A creachure!!!!!

[warrior-kitty]

not a shrew, not a hedgehog, but a secret third thing (tenrec)

[jackson-imbecille]

Lesser hedgehog tenrec

Echinops telfairi

Family tenrecidae, order Afrosoricida, superorder Afrotheria (the elephants, sengis, manatees, aardvarks, and hyraxes)

These guys bear an uncanny resemblance to another African animal: the four toed hedgehog.

But four toed hedgehog’s are in an entirely different clade! Laurasiatheria, like pangolins, cats, dogs, moles, deer, and rhinos.

All tenrecs have a cloaca like reptiles, so these guys only have one hole to excrete waste.

They’re terrestrial and spend the day curled up sleeping under leaves, logs and anything else they can hide under. If it’s really hot, they sleep splayed out.

They eat insects and sometimes small vertebrates. They forage alone with the exception of mothers foraging with young.

They’ve become common exotic pets. I’ve held one before.

These guys are in a relatively new proposed clade: Afroinsectiphilia. These guys are afrotherians that were thought to be in Insectivora, which is not considered a legitimate group anymore.

@jackalspine @lemon-snake

[jackalspine]

Giant otter shrew

Potamogale velox

Genus Potamogale, subfamily Potamogalinae, family Tenrecidae, suborder Tenrecomorpha

Despite their names, they are neither otters nor shrews. They are afrotherians like elephants, hyraxes, aardvarks, and manatees.

They live here:

They are nocturnal and can not survive in captivity. Most photos online of them are recently deceased or taxidermied because of this.

They don’t have webbed feet, so they swim side to side like crocodilians or fish. Their hind legs have skin flaps along the inside that let them be held close to the body while swimming

Wait can you elaborate on that last part what do the skin flaps do?? Ho w wo oh ok Neve round I think I get it is it like how the fuckin the wheels on the airplane go into the plane when they’re in the air?? Like that? Bro that’s so funny

But man that’s really cool do u have sources for the illustrated pics? I wanna look attm

[maximusentropy]

Los tenrécidos (Tenrecidae), conocidos vulgarmente como tenrecs, son una familia de mamíferos placentarios omnívoros del orden Afrosoricida (también conocido como Tenrecomorpha), caracterizados por su pequeño tamaño y por tener un hocico más o menos largo y apuntado que utilizan para desenterrar gusanos e insectos del suelo. Hay unas treinta especies de tenrecs, y viven principalmente en Madagascar, con algunas especies en África y en las islas Comores donde han sido introducidos. La mayoría tienen costumbres nocturnas y habitan en madrigueras excavadas por ellos mismos. Los jóvenes tenrecs maman de la madre durante tres semanas, después de las cuales ya son capaces de seguirla y empezar a alimentarse solos. Esta ilustración es parte de la serie que desarrollo para @lifers_earth y la trabajé en 2020.

#Biodiversidad #Biodiversity #Tenrec #Tenrecomorpha #MaximusEntropy #Drawing #DigitalPainting #Artwork #Illustration #Art #Science #2dart #Scientificillustration #WildLife #mammals #Tenrecidae #WildLifeIllustration #Colombia #Medellín #instaart #artistsofig #Madagascar #artgallery #artist #zoology #biology #africa #comoresisland #Lifers_earth

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Maximus Entropy (@maximusentropy)

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

can I request the lesser Madagascar hedgehog tenrec? I love them very much

Of course!

[robbie-roo]

Hey! Could you please talk about afrotheria? You're the coolest zoologist I know!

dawwwww

but yes of COURSE I can talk about afrotheria it's a very diverse group they all have a questionable relationship and have a whole lot of convergent evolution they're somewhat related to Xenarthra but we aren't entirely sure how close yet

Paenungulata and Afroinsectiphilia those are our two clades or "branches"

so Afrotheria have 6 Supergroups and 3 families

Chrysochloridae (golden moles)

Tenrecidae (tenrecs)

and Potapogalidae (otter shrews)

as always this is gonna be an overview and will likely be split into multiple parts if I start feeling like the post is too long

So first! Chrysochloridae

these are found in Africa in the southern Sahara desert there are 7 genera and 18 species

so common traits:

some are on dry some are on wet lands

they are burrowers and look like marsupial moles

they have short limbs and tails

enlarged shovel-like forefeet with 1-2 claws

reduced eyes and carpinnae

large nosepads

short crisp fur (idk why I wrote crisp to describe them but thats what I have written down)

as for their bones they have HUGE malleus bones (inner ear bone) which could be for picking up ground born vibrations

(left shows the enlarged bone compared to a normal size)

they do have some sight but don't have electroreceptors like some of the burrowers we've talked about. they live in fairly loose soil and will grab insects to eat

they do have teeth! upper and lower molars their hair will usually cover up their eyes and limit vision further and they can detect very very low pitches

so let's put a face to the name!

this is a golden mole! a very elusive creature that comes out at night and swims though the sand just under the surface I doodled one in my notes I think I was pretty accurate

not a whole lot is known about these guys aside from this sorta basic knowledge since they're pretty hard to study they're really good at hiding from research teams

Next!!

Tenrecidae

8 genera, 32 species (which may increase by about 20 soon once new research is compiled)

they vary in size with the largest being around cat size and the smallest being smaller than a mouse! they have a varied habitat and diet

there are two groups I'll talk about for these guys the spiny tenrec in Africa and the shrew tenrec which is only found in Madagascar they can either be mouse-like or possum-like

these guys are fucking WEIRD so remember how I said monotremes have cloacas? these guys do too! male tenrecs also don't have scrotum due to their low body temperature

(this group also houses the Hemicentetes nigriceps which has the single largest litter size of any mammal and before you ask- 32 babies. at once. that poor mother.)

these guys also have quills and the Hemicentes will communicate by shaking their quills

they also have incomplete zygomatic arches (no cheekbones) not only is that incomplete but so is their auditory bullae

they have spiky teeth and own a whopping 32-40 of them! they have very beady little eyes and cannot maintain their own body temperature but one species will hibernate

And last but not least, the Potamogalidae

these guys are home to three species that all live in Africa they are highly modified for aquatic life and look sorta like otters (they are not related that's convergent evolution baby)

they have short strong legs and a flat tail they they mostly use to swim they also have some webbing on their feet

they eat small aquatic life and have a poor sense of smell to make up for it they have really strong whiskers they kinda look like wet rats

there's not a whole lot known about otter shrews they're also pretty rare and hard to study

but don't you worry.... there's more that was only one confusing branch to afrotheria we have 3 more on the other branch

[grapehyasynth]

@atdawnweryd page 69 puts us in the family Tenrecidae - tenrecs

your mammal is

THE GREATER HEDGEHOG TENREC

my housemate has a book with all the mammals of the world - if you give me a page number between 30 and 693 i will assign you a mammal and that will officially be your mammal

[fernwehfamily]

Diese süße kleine Igelratte ist das einzige einheimische Landsäugetier La Réunions. Da es ohne natürliche Feinde lebt, ist es alles andere als scheu. #tenrek #tenrecidae #tenrec #tenrecsofinstagram #iledelareunion #reunionisland #igel #hedgehog #fernwehfamily #fernweh #reiseerinnerungen #sabbatical #travelmemories (hier: La Réunion) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcStCm9Mxd0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[nature-and-biodiversity-blog]

Lowland Streaked Tenrec Hemicentetes semispinosus