Mammals · Afrosoricida · Tenrecidae

Lowland Streaked Tenrec

Hemicentetes semispinosus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The lowland streaked tenrec is a small mammal of Madagascar covered in yellow and black quills, with a crest of yellow spines over the nape. It lives in family groups that share burrows, which is unusual among tenrecs, and searches for earthworms and other invertebrates in the damp leaf litter. Its communication system is unique among mammals and has made it one of the Malagasy species most often cited in zoology textbooks.

Weight

80 g – 280 g

Size

12 cm – 19 cm

Lifespan

3 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestInsectivore Diurnal Variable activity Colonial Rainforest Mammal

1countries 7parks2same family

Fun facts

It is the only mammal known to produce sound by stridulation: it rubs specialised quills on its back against one another, just as a cricket rubs its wings, to keep in contact with the rest of the group in dense vegetation.
Its young can breed five weeks after birth, the earliest sexual maturity recorded in any mammal.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Ground and leaf litter of the rainforests of eastern Madagascar
Sexual maturity: 35 days
Gestation / incubation: 59 days
Litter / clutch size: 4

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemicentetes_semispinosus