tenrec

 

(tĕn'rĕk) , any of the small insectivorous mammals of the family Tenrecidae, also called tendrecs or tanrecs. These animals are found on the island of Madagascar. In that closed environment they have evolved diverse forms, filling various ecological niches occupied by other small mammals elsewhere. There are about 30 tenrec species, classified in 10 genera. The common tenrec, Tenrec ecaudatus, is one of the world's largest insectivores. It is tailless, with a body length of 12 to 16 in. (30–41 cm). Its coat is a yellow-brown mixture of hair, bristles, and spines. The hedgehog tenrec, Setifer setosus, resembles a true hedgehog. The short-haired rice tenrecs, genus Oryzorictes, are molelike animals whose tunneling causes much damage in rice fields. The long-tailed tenrec, Microgale longicaudata, is mouselike in size and appearance, with a tail two and a half times its body length, and it is able to jump. The water tenrec, Linmogale mergulus, is a rat-sized aquatic animal with webbed feet and a keeled tail. All tenrecs are nocturnal, most hibernate in the winter, and many are dormant in hot weather. They live on a diet of small animals, chiefly worms and insects. Females have as many as twenty-two teats and give birth to litters of fifteen to twenty young. The giant water shrews of the central African forest belong to the family Potamogalidae, sometimes considered a subfamily of the Tenrecidae. These animals are otterlike in appearance and way of life, with fine fur and a laterally compressed tail. Other animals called water shrews are members of the true shrew family. Tenrecs are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Insectivora, family Tenrecidae.

Tenrecidae
Tenrec ecaudatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Afrosoricida Suborder: Tenrecomorpha Butler, 1972 Family: Tenrecidae Gray, 1821
Subfamilies
Geogalinae Oryzorictinae Potamogalinae Tenrecinae

Tenrecidae (common name tenrecs) is a family of mammals found on Madagascar and parts of western Africa. Tenrecs are widely diverse, resembling hedgehogs, shrews, opossums, mice and even otters. They can occupy several environments including aquatic, arboreal, terrestrial and fossorial. Some of these species can be found in the Madagascar dry deciduous forests, including the Greater Hedgehog Tenrec. There are four subfamilies, 10 genera, and 30 species of tenrecs.

Use

In the island nation of Mauritius, tenrec meat is a source of food, providing variety in a diet that consists largely of fish. They are hunted at night in a traditional manner using wooden clubs.

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.

Species

FAMILY TENRECIDAE

• Subfamily Geogalinae
  • Genus Geogale
    • Large-eared Tenrec (Geogale aurita)
• Subfamily Oryzorictinae
  • Genus Limnogale
    • Web-footed Tenrec (Limnogale mergulus)
  • Genus Microgale
    • Short-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale brevicaudata)
    • Cowan's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale cowani)
    • Dobson's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale dobsoni)
    • Drouhard's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale drouhardi)
    • Dryad Shrew Tenrec (Microgale dryas)
    • Pale Shrew Tenrec (Microgale fotsifotsy)
    • Gracile Shrew Tenrec (Microgale gracilis)
    • Naked-nosed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale gymnorhyncha)
    • Microgale jobihely
    • Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale longicaudata)
    • Montane Shrew Tenrec (Microgale monticola)
    • Nasolo's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale nasoloi)
    • Pygmy Shrew Tenrec (Microgale parvula)
    • Greater Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale principula)
    • Least Shrew Tenrec (Microgale pusilla)
    • Shrew-toothed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale soricoides)
    • Taiva Shrew Tenrec (Microgale taiva)
    • Talazac's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale talazaci)
    • Thomas's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale thomasi)
  • Genus Oryzorictes
    • Mole-like Rice Tenrec (Oryzorictes hova)
    • Four-toed Rice Tenrec (Oryzorictes tetradactylus)
• Subfamily Potamogalinae
  • Genus Micropotamogale
    • Nimba Otter Shrew (Micropotamogale lamottei)
    • Ruwenzori Otter Shrew (Micropotamogale ruwenzorii)
  • Genus Potamogale
    • Giant Otter Shrew (Potamogale velox)
• Subfamily Tenrecinae
  • Genus Echinops
    • Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi)
  • Genus Hemicentetes
    • Highland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes nigriceps)
    • Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus)
  • Genus Setifer
    • Greater Hedgehog Tenrec (Setifer setosus)
  • Genus Tenrec
    • Common Tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus)

See also

• Convergent evolution

References

• Bronner, Gary N.; Jenkins, Paulina D. (November 16, 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 72-77. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 

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