TENREC: CHARACTERISTICS, TAXONOMY, REPRODUCTION, FEEDING - BIOLOGY - 2025

The tenrec is a placental mammal of the order Afrosoricida that lives mainly in Madagascar, an island region in southeastern Africa. The vast majority of species are insectivorous, although some eat fruits, making them omnivores.

Physically they can be associated with shrews, otters or hedgehogs, however there is no relationship between them. One of its closest relative is the elephant shrew, belonging to the Macroscelida order.

By Frank Vassen, via Wikimedia Commons

The fossil record is scarce, however, some mammalian species that existed during the Miocene show an affinity with the tenrec, such as Geogale aurita.

The tenrec was probably one of the first mammals that lived millions of years ago in Madagascar. Thanks to adaptive radiation, new specimens were created, each with very specific characteristics.

Some species can hibernate from May to September, due to the high temperatures of those autumn months. During that time the climate is very dry, which greatly limits the variety and availability of finding food. For this hibernation, the tenrec can dig a burrow up to 2 meters long.

General characteristics

Legs

Aquatic species have fingertips joined by thin membranes, known as palpal fingers. Those that inhabit the land have fingers with strong muscles and fine claws, which allow them to grasp different surfaces. The front extremities are longer than the rear ones.

Body

The shades of the tenrec range from gray and brown to reddish brown. Their fur is fine, occasionally combined with blunt spines.

Some specimens have very sharp spines on their backs. These are part of its defense mechanism, which it uses when threatened and forms a kind of ball with its body.

Face

The skull is cylindrical in shape. Its eyes are very small, it has an elongated snout that ends in a long nose. He has sensitive whiskers, with which he can pick up vibrations.

Size

Due to the great diversity of species, the size varies considerably. The smallest species can measure 4.5 cm and weigh 5 grams, while the largest is between 35 and 40 centimeters in length, weighing more than a kilogram.

Teeth

Like the vast majority of its characteristics, the dental formula varies between each species. Tenrec can have from 32 to 42 teeth. Their molars are usually "v" shaped.

The permanent teeth of hatchlings do not fully erupt until long after they are adults.

Sewer

This group of animals has a single opening where the reproductive systems converge, in the case of females, digestive and excretory. This opening is called the cloaca.

Communication

The striped tenrec (Hemicentetes) has a spinal patch on its back, forming a spot known as the stridulating organ. When threatened, they rub the thorns against each other, making an alarm sound.

Hearing this signal, the members of the group run to take refuge in the burrow. Stridulation also helps the young to locate between themselves or a mother to her young.

Taxonomy

Animal Kingdom.

Subkingdom: Bilateria.

Infrared: Deuterostomy.

Phylum: Chordate.

Subfilum: Vertebrate.

Infrafilum: Gnathostomata.

Superclass: Tetrapoda.

Class: Mammal.

Subclass: Theria.

Infraclass: Eutheria.

Order: Afrosoricida.

The Afrosoricida order is divided into:

Suborder Chrysochloridea

Family Chrysochloridae

They are known as golden moles and commonly inhabit the south of the African continent. They are solitary and very territorial animals. They take refuge in burrows, which they dig in various areas, from desert to swampy. They feed on invertebrate animals found under the ground.

In males and females there is only one opening for the urogenital system, which is known as the cloaca. The species of this group do not have the fifth toe on their forelegs, having a strong claw on their third toe.

Suborder Tenrecomorpha

Tenrecidae family

Their common name is tenrec and they are characterized by being small. Their snouts are pointed in shape, allowing them to poke around in the dirt to find a worm.

There are about 30 species of tenrec, which live mainly in Madagascar, although some species could be found in Africa and on the Comoros Islands, located in the southwest of the Indian Ocean.

Reproduction

Most young tenrecs have slow sexual development, although some species have their own characteristics. The striped tenrec (H. semispinosus) reaches sexual maturity only 35 days after being born. On the other hand, the spiny tenrec does not mate until they are 6 months old.

The tenrec is usually solitary, but in the mating stage the males and females group together and have brief physical contact. Between them they touch the nose, the cloaca or the ears. The male frequently licks the female, then grabs her with his front limbs for copulation.

The gestation period is between 50 and 65 days, with great variation between the different species, in terms of the number of offspring. The highland tenrec (Hemicentetes nigriceps) has one to five young, while the tailless tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus) can give birth to up to 32 young.

The Geogale aurita species, known as the big-eared tenrec, is the only one of the order Afrosoricida that has postpartum estrus, in the case of nursing a litter while another is gestating in its uterus.

Feeding

The tenrec has adapted to living on land, in trees, and in water, where it can swim to capture small mollusks that are part of its diet.

In addition to eating insects, larvae, small vertebrates such as amphibians and bird eggs, they can occasionally eat fruit. Food includes crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, moth larvae, beetle larvae, and snails.

Within these feeding habitats, there are species that have specialized their diet. Striped tenrecs have a preference for soft-bodied invertebrates. The large-eared tenrec species (Geogale aurita) search within dry trees for termites that are found there, being their favorite food.

Some specimens are opportunistic type feeders, since they use the insects that they get around them. These animals will be able to climb trees to take some fruit or invade the birds' nest and take their eggs. Others hunt baby mice or rats, which they can capture in their burrows.

References

1. Wild Madagascar.org (2014). Tenrecs of Madagascar. Recovered from wildmadagascar.org.
2. Encyclopedia Britannica (2018). Tenrec. Recovered from britannica.com.
3. San Diego Zoo (2018). Tenrec. Animals & plants. Recovered from sandiegozoo.org.
4. Stephenson, PJ (2007). Mammals from another time: tenrecs in Madagascar. IUCN Afrotheruia specialist group. Recovered from afrotheria.net.
5. Gorog, A. (1999). Tenrec ecaudatus. Animal diversity web. Recovered from animaldiversity.org.
6. ITIS (2018). Afrosoricide. Recovered from itis.gov.