| Lowland Streaked Tenrec | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Afrosoricida |
| Family: | Tenrecidae |
| Genus: | Hemicentetes |
| Species: | H. semispinosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemicentetes semispinosus G. Cuvier, 1798 |
|
| Lowland Streaked Tenrec range | |
The Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) is a small tenrec found in Madagascar, Africa.
Contents |
It is found in tropical lowland rain forest, in the northern and eastern parts of Madagascar.
It is a small animal, with a long snout and limbs, and a vestigal tail. Pelage black with yellow longitudinal stripes dorsally, light beneath; scattered quills, some barbed and detachable.
The head and body are 4.8-6.5 inches in length. The weight is about 7 ounces.
It is active during day and night, feeding primarily upon earthworms, but sometimes as well on insects.
Breeding happens through October to December and possibly other times, depending upon local food supply and temperature. The gestation period lasts 58 days, and the female gives birth to usually between 5 and 8 young. The young are weaned at 18 to 25 days.
The streaked tenrec lives in long, shallow burrows dug in the damp by humus and usually occupied by family groups.
If threatened by a predator (most commonly a Fossa (animal) or Mongoose), a streaked tenrec erects the barbed quills on its back and on the crest around its head, pointing them completely forward, and drives them in to the attacker's nose or paws with body and head movements. The nonbarbed quills are clustered in the middle of the back, and produce a faint chattering sound when vibrated, and are used to communicate within family groups.
The streaked tenrec is the only mammal known to use stridulation for generating sound, a method more commonly associated with insects and arachnids.[2][3]
Simon and Schuster's Guide to Mammals