Tenrecidae
Encyclopedia
Tenrecidae is a family
of mammal
s found on Madagascar
and parts of Africa
. Tenrecs are widely diverse, resembling hedgehog
s, shrew
s, opossums, mice
and even otter
s, as a result of convergent evolution
. They occupy aquatic
, arboreal, terrestrial
and fossorial
environments. Some of these species can be found in the Madagascar dry deciduous forests
, including the Greater Hedgehog Tenrec
.
, is 25 to 39 cm in length, and can weigh over a kilogram. Although they may resemble such animals as shrews, hedgehogs, or otters, they are not closely related to any of these groups, their closest relatives being other African, insectivoran-grade mammals such as golden mole
s and elephant shrew
s. The common ancestry of these animals, along with aardvark
s, hyrax
es, elephant
s, and sea cows in the group Afrotheria
, was not recognized until the late 1990s. Continuing work on the molecular and morphological diversity of afrotherian mammals has provided ever increasing support for their common ancestry.
Unusually among placental mammals, the anus
and urogenital tract
s of tenrecs share a common opening, or cloaca
, a feature more commonly seen in bird
s, reptile
s, and amphibian
s. They have a low body temperature, sufficiently so that they do not require a scrotum
to cool their sperm
as most other mammals do.
All species appear to be at least somewhat omnivorous
, with invertebrates forming the largest part of the diet. The three species found on the African mainland (Potamogale velox, Micropotamogale lamottei, M. ruwenzorii) have a more specialized diet, centered on their habitat in fast-running streams of the African tropics, from Liberia in the west to Lake Victoria in the east. One species from Madagascar, Limnogale mergulus, is also semiaquatic. All of the species from Madagascar, semiaquatic or not, appear to have evolved from a single, common ancestor, with the mainland tenrecs comprising the next, most-closely related mammalian species. While the fossil record of tenrecs is scarce, at least some specimens from the early Miocene
of Kenya show close affinities to living species from Madagascar, such as Geogale aurita.
Most species are nocturnal and have poor eyesight. Their other senses are well developed, however, and they have especially sensitive whiskers. As with many of their other features, the dental formula
of tenrecs varies greatly between species; they can have anything from 32 to 42 teeth in total. Unusually for mammals, the permanent dentition in tenrecs tends not to completely erupt until well after adult body size has been reached. This is one of several anatomical features shared by elephant
s, hyrax
es, sengis, and golden mole
s (but apparently not aardvark
s), consistent with their descent from a common ancestor.
Tenrecs have a gestation
period of from 50 to 64 days, and give birth to a number of relatively undeveloped young. While the otter shrew
s have just two young per litter, the Common Tenrec can have as many as 32, and females possess up to 29 teats, more than any other mammal. At least some species of tenrec are social, living in multi-generational family groups with over a dozen individuals.
, some of the inhabitants eat tenrec meat even though it is difficult to obtain (as it is not sold in shops or markets) and difficult to prepare correctly.
The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec
(Echinops telfairi) is one of 16 mammalian species that will have its genome sequenced
as part of the Mammalian Genome Project
. It is increasingly popular in the pet trade, and in the future may serve as an important model organism in biomedicine, as it is only distantly related to the mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rhesus macaques that comprise the most common research animals.
FAMILY TENRECIDAE
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s found on Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and parts of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Tenrecs are widely diverse, resembling hedgehog
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
s, shrew
Shrew
A shrew or shrew mouse is a small molelike mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha. True shrews are also not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders.Although its external appearance is generally that of...
s, opossums, mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
and even otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s, as a result of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
. They occupy aquatic
Aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
, arboreal, terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
and fossorial
Fossorial
A fossorial organism is one that is adapted to digging and life underground such as the badger, the naked mole rat, and the mole salamanders Ambystomatidae...
environments. Some of these species can be found in the Madagascar dry deciduous forests
Madagascar dry deciduous forests
The Madagascar dry deciduous forests represent a tropical dry forest ecoregion generally situated in the western part of Madagascar. The area has high numbers of endemic plant and animal species but has suffered large-scale clearance for agriculture...
, including the Greater Hedgehog Tenrec
Greater Hedgehog Tenrec
The Greater Hedgehog Tenrec or Large Madagascar Hedgehog is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar...
.
Characteristics
Tenrecs are small mammals of variable body form. The smallest species are the size of shrews, with a body length of around 4.5 cm, and weighing just 5 grams, while the largest, the Common TenrecCommon Tenrec
The tailless tenrec , also known as the common tenrec, is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is the only member of the genus, Tenrec. It is found in Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, and Seychelles...
, is 25 to 39 cm in length, and can weigh over a kilogram. Although they may resemble such animals as shrews, hedgehogs, or otters, they are not closely related to any of these groups, their closest relatives being other African, insectivoran-grade mammals such as golden mole
Golden mole
Golden moles are small, insectivorous burrowing mammals native to southern Africa. They form the family Chrysochloridae, and are taxonomically distinct from the true moles which they resemble due to convergence...
s and elephant shrew
Elephant shrew
Elephant shrews or jumping shrews are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea...
s. The common ancestry of these animals, along with aardvark
Aardvark
The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
s, hyrax
Hyrax
A hyrax is any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. The rock hyrax Procavia capensis, the yellow-spotted rock hyrax Heterohyrax brucei, the western tree hyrax Dendrohyrax dorsalis, and the southern tree hyrax, Dendrohyrax arboreus live in Africa...
es, elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, and sea cows in the group Afrotheria
Afrotheria
Afrotheria is a clade of mammals, the living members of which belong to groups from Africa or of African origin: golden moles, sengis , tenrecs, aardvarks, hyraxes, elephants and sea cows. The common ancestry of these animals was not recognized until the late 1990s...
, was not recognized until the late 1990s. Continuing work on the molecular and morphological diversity of afrotherian mammals has provided ever increasing support for their common ancestry.
Unusually among placental mammals, the anus
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
and urogenital tract
Genitourinary system
In anatomy, the genitourinary system or urogenital system is the organ system of the reproductive organs and the urinary system. These are grouped together because of their proximity to each other, their common embryological origin and the use of common pathways, like the male urethra...
s of tenrecs share a common opening, or cloaca
Cloaca
In zoological anatomy, a cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, reproductive, and urinary tracts of certain animal species...
, a feature more commonly seen in bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, and amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s. They have a low body temperature, sufficiently so that they do not require a scrotum
Scrotum
In some male mammals the scrotum is a dual-chambered protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles and divided by a septum. It is an extension of the perineum, and is located between the penis and anus. In humans and some other mammals, the base of the scrotum becomes covered with curly...
to cool their sperm
Sperm
The term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell...
as most other mammals do.
All species appear to be at least somewhat omnivorous
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, with invertebrates forming the largest part of the diet. The three species found on the African mainland (Potamogale velox, Micropotamogale lamottei, M. ruwenzorii) have a more specialized diet, centered on their habitat in fast-running streams of the African tropics, from Liberia in the west to Lake Victoria in the east. One species from Madagascar, Limnogale mergulus, is also semiaquatic. All of the species from Madagascar, semiaquatic or not, appear to have evolved from a single, common ancestor, with the mainland tenrecs comprising the next, most-closely related mammalian species. While the fossil record of tenrecs is scarce, at least some specimens from the early Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
of Kenya show close affinities to living species from Madagascar, such as Geogale aurita.
Most species are nocturnal and have poor eyesight. Their other senses are well developed, however, and they have especially sensitive whiskers. As with many of their other features, the dental formula
Dentition
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...
of tenrecs varies greatly between species; they can have anything from 32 to 42 teeth in total. Unusually for mammals, the permanent dentition in tenrecs tends not to completely erupt until well after adult body size has been reached. This is one of several anatomical features shared by elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, hyrax
Hyrax
A hyrax is any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. The rock hyrax Procavia capensis, the yellow-spotted rock hyrax Heterohyrax brucei, the western tree hyrax Dendrohyrax dorsalis, and the southern tree hyrax, Dendrohyrax arboreus live in Africa...
es, sengis, and golden mole
Golden mole
Golden moles are small, insectivorous burrowing mammals native to southern Africa. They form the family Chrysochloridae, and are taxonomically distinct from the true moles which they resemble due to convergence...
s (but apparently not aardvark
Aardvark
The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
s), consistent with their descent from a common ancestor.
Tenrecs have a gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period of from 50 to 64 days, and give birth to a number of relatively undeveloped young. While the otter shrew
Giant Otter Shrew
The Giant Otter Shrew is a semiaquatic, carnivorous tenrec. It is found in the main rainforestblock of Central Africa from Biafra to Zambia, with a few isolated populations in Kenya and Uganda. It is found in streams, wetlands, and slowly flowing larger rivers...
s have just two young per litter, the Common Tenrec can have as many as 32, and females possess up to 29 teats, more than any other mammal. At least some species of tenrec are social, living in multi-generational family groups with over a dozen individuals.
Use
In the island nation of MauritiusMauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, some of the inhabitants eat tenrec meat even though it is difficult to obtain (as it is not sold in shops or markets) and difficult to prepare correctly.
The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec
Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec
The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family.It is the only species in the genus Echinops and is named in honour of Charles Telfair.-Distribution and habitat:It is endemic to Madagascar...
(Echinops telfairi) is one of 16 mammalian species that will have its genome sequenced
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
as part of the Mammalian Genome Project
Genome project
Genome projects are scientific endeavours that ultimately aim to determine the complete genome sequence of an organism and to annotate protein-coding genes and other important genome-encoded features...
. It is increasingly popular in the pet trade, and in the future may serve as an important model organism in biomedicine, as it is only distantly related to the mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rhesus macaques that comprise the most common research animals.
Species
There are four subfamilies, 10 genera, and 34 species of tenrecs.FAMILY TENRECIDAE
- Subfamily Geogalinae
- Genus Geogale
- Large-eared TenrecLarge-eared TenrecThe Large-eared Tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is monotypical of its genus. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Geogale aurita)
- Large-eared Tenrec
- Genus Geogale
- Subfamily OryzorictinaeOryzorictinaeOryzorictinae is a subfamily of Tenrec.- Species :** Genus Limnogale*** Web-footed Tenrec ** Genus Microgale***Short-tailed Shrew Tenrec ***Cowan's Shrew Tenrec...
- Genus Limnogale
- Web-footed TenrecWeb-footed TenrecThe Web-footed Tenrec, Otter Shrew, or Aquatic Tenrec is the only known semiaquatic Malagasy tenrec , and is found in eastern Madagascar, especially in and around Ranomafana National Park. It grows to between 25 and 39 cm, and was once thought to be extinct...
(Limnogale mergulus)
- Web-footed Tenrec
- Genus MicrogaleMicrogaleMicrogale is a genus of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. There are 22 living species and one known extinct species known from a fossil. Some species have been discovered in the last twenty years.It contains the following extant species:...
- Short-tailed Shrew TenrecShort-tailed Shrew TenrecThe Short-tailed Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale brevicaudata) - Cowan's Shrew TenrecCowan's Shrew TenrecCowan's Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, plantations, and heavily degraded former forest....
(Microgale cowani) - Dobson's Shrew TenrecDobson's Shrew TenrecDobson's Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, plantations, and heavily degraded former forest....
(Microgale dobsoni) - Drouhard's Shrew TenrecDrouhard's Shrew TenrecDrouhard's Shrew Tenrec , also known as the Striped Shrew Tenrec, is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale drouhardi) - Dryad Shrew TenrecDryad Shrew TenrecThe Dryad Shrew Tenrec , also known as the Tree Shrew Tenrec, is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is vulnerable to extinction by habitat loss....
(Microgale dryas) - Pale Shrew TenrecPale Shrew TenrecThe Pale Shrew Tenrec , also known as the Pale-footed Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale fotsifotsy) - Gracile Shrew TenrecGracile Shrew TenrecThe Gracile Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
(Microgale gracilis) - Microgale grandidieriMicrogale grandidieriMicrogale grandidieri is a species of shrew tenrec occurring in the dry forests of western and southwestern Madagascar. Populations of this species were formerly included in Microgale brevicaudata; M...
- Naked-nosed Shrew TenrecNaked-nosed Shrew TenrecThe Naked-nosed Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale gymnorhyncha) - Jenkins' Shrew Tenrec Microgale jenkinsae
- Northern Shrew TenrecNorthern shrew tenrecThe northern shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it has a very restricted range on the southwestern slopes of the Tsaratanana Massif; it has been found at elevations from 1420 to 1680 m. Its natural habitat is montane forest. The species...
(Microgale jobihely) - Lesser Long-tailed Shrew TenrecLesser Long-tailed Shrew TenrecThe Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is active at all hours of the day and night, but each individual maintains its own pattern of rest and activity.-Range and Habitat:...
(Microgale longicaudata) - Microgale macpheeiMicrogale macpheeiMicrogale macpheei is an extinct shrew tenrec from southeastern Madagascar. It is known only from two partial skulls found in Andrahomana cave, which radiocarbon dating of associated rodent remains suggests are about 2000 years old. It is the only known recently extinct tenrec...
(extinct) - Major's Long-tailed TenrecMajor's long-tailed tenrecMajor's long-tailed tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is the eastern humid forest of the island, as well as some western forests, where it has been seen at elevations from 785 to 2000 m. Its habits are not well known, but it is...
(Microgale majori) - Montane Shrew TenrecMontane Shrew TenrecThe Montane Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
(Microgale monticola) - Nasolo's Shrew TenrecNasolo's Shrew TenrecNasolo's Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale nasoloi) - Pygmy Shrew TenrecPygmy Shrew TenrecThe Pygmy Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale parvula) - Greater Long-tailed Shrew TenrecGreater Long-tailed Shrew TenrecThe Greater Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale principula) - Least Shrew TenrecLeast Shrew TenrecThe Least Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family.It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, swamps, pastureland, and irrigated land. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale pusilla) - Shrew-toothed Shrew TenrecShrew-toothed Shrew TenrecThe Shrew-toothed Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale soricoides) - Taiva Shrew TenrecTaiva Shrew TenrecThe Taiva Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family.It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale taiva) - Talazac's Shrew TenrecTalazac's Shrew TenrecTalazac's Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale talazaci) - Thomas's Shrew TenrecThomas's Shrew TenrecThomas's Shrew Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Microgale thomasi)
- Short-tailed Shrew Tenrec
- Genus Oryzorictes
- Mole-like Rice TenrecMole-like Rice TenrecThe Mole-like Rice Tenrec , also known as the Fossorial Tenrec or Hova Rice Tenrec, is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar...
(Oryzorictes hova) - Four-toed Rice TenrecFour-toed Rice TenrecThe Four-toed Rice Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, subtropical or tropical...
(Oryzorictes tetradactylus)
- Mole-like Rice Tenrec
- Genus Limnogale
- Subfamily PotamogalinaePotamogalinaePotamogalinae is the subfamily of "otter shrews", a group of semiaquatic riverine mammals in the family Tenrecidae indigenous to Subsaharan Africa. All otter shrews are carnivorous, preying on any aquatic animal they can find with their sensitive whiskers. As their common name suggests, they bear...
- Genus MicropotamogaleMicropotamogaleMicropotamogale is a genus of small, otter-like tenrecs native to riverine habitats of West African rainforests. They feed on aquatic animals and insects they can find and capture.Two species are recognized:...
- Nimba Otter ShrewNimba Otter ShrewThe Nimba Otter Shrew is a dwarf otter shrew and belongs to the mammal family Tenrecidae. It is native to Mount Nimba in West Africa. Also known as Pygmy Otter Shrew, it shares the genus Micropotamogale with the Ruwenzori Otter Shrew.-Description:The Nimba Otter Shrew has a body length of 12-20 cm...
(Micropotamogale lamottei) - Ruwenzori Otter ShrewRuwenzori Otter ShrewThe Ruwenzori Otter Shrew is a species of semiaquatic mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Micropotamogale ruwenzorii)
- Nimba Otter Shrew
- Genus Potamogale
- Giant Otter ShrewGiant Otter ShrewThe Giant Otter Shrew is a semiaquatic, carnivorous tenrec. It is found in the main rainforestblock of Central Africa from Biafra to Zambia, with a few isolated populations in Kenya and Uganda. It is found in streams, wetlands, and slowly flowing larger rivers...
(Potamogale velox)
- Giant Otter Shrew
- Genus Micropotamogale
- Subfamily Tenrecinae
- Genus Echinops
- Lesser Hedgehog TenrecLesser Hedgehog TenrecThe Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family.It is the only species in the genus Echinops and is named in honour of Charles Telfair.-Distribution and habitat:It is endemic to Madagascar...
(Echinops telfairi)
- Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec
- Genus HemicentetesHemicentetesHemicentetes is a genus of tenrec with two species....
- Highland Streaked TenrecHighland Streaked TenrecThe Highland Streaked Tenrec is an insectivore which lives in the central upland regions of Madagascar. Its black and white striped body is covered with quills, which it will raise when agitated...
(Hemicentetes nigriceps) - Lowland Streaked TenrecLowland Streaked TenrecThe Lowland Streaked Tenrec is a small tenrec found in Madagascar, Africa.-Distribution and Habitat:It is found in tropical lowland rain forest, in the northern and eastern parts of Madagascar.-Physical Appearance:...
(Hemicentetes semispinosus)
- Highland Streaked Tenrec
- Genus Setifer
- Greater Hedgehog TenrecGreater Hedgehog TenrecThe Greater Hedgehog Tenrec or Large Madagascar Hedgehog is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar...
(Setifer setosus)
- Greater Hedgehog Tenrec
- Genus Tenrec
- Common TenrecCommon TenrecThe tailless tenrec , also known as the common tenrec, is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is the only member of the genus, Tenrec. It is found in Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, and Seychelles...
(Tenrec ecaudatus)
- Common Tenrec
- Genus Echinops