Wildlifeof Madagascar
Tailless Tenrec
Tenrecs
Photo: Unknown · CC BY-SA 3.0
Tenrec ecaudatus
Basic stats
Diet
Mostly invertebrates (earthworms, beetles and other insects), plus frogs, reptiles, small mammals and some fruit and leaves
Habitat
Humid, dry and spiny forest, open woodland, scrub and degraded farmland, from sea level to about 1,680m
Range
All of Madagascar, and the Comoros; introduced to Réunion, Mauritius and the Seychelles
Litter size
Often 15–20; up to 32 recorded
Gestation period
About 56–64 days
Size
Head and body 18–35cm; only a stub of a tail
Weight
Wild adults about 150–430g; captive animals over 2kg
The tailless tenrec is the largest member of the tenrec family. It looks like a hedgehog without the full spines: a stout, shaggy body of coarse grey to reddish-brown hair and spines, a mane of longer erectile hairs along the crest and mid-back, a long pointed snout and a tail of only 1–1.5cm. Males are larger than females, with broader heads and longer canines (Wikipedia; Mittermeier & Wilson 2018, general species account).
Mostly nocturnal, it spends the day in a burrow or hollow log. If threatened it freezes, then raises its crest, stamps, hisses and tries to bite. Females have the largest litters of any mammal, commonly 15–20 young, which are striped black and white and follow their mother on foraging trips after about three weeks. The tailless tenrec can also hibernate for months, which made it the first tropical mammal observed to do so (Wikipedia).
It occurs throughout Madagascar, including gardens and farmland, and is most often seen at dusk and after dark.
Quick answers
- What does the Tailless Tenrec eat?
- Mostly invertebrates (earthworms, beetles and other insects), plus frogs, reptiles, small mammals and some fruit and leaves
- What habitat does the Tailless Tenrec live in?
- Humid, dry and spiny forest, open woodland, scrub and degraded farmland, from sea level to about 1,680m
- Where is the Tailless Tenrec found?
- All of Madagascar, and the Comoros; introduced to Réunion, Mauritius and the Seychelles
- What is the litter size of the Tailless Tenrec?
- Often 15–20; up to 32 recorded
- How long is the gestation period of the Tailless Tenrec?
- About 56–64 days
- How big is the Tailless Tenrec?
- Head and body 18–35cm; only a stub of a tail
- How much does the Tailless Tenrec weigh?
- Wild adults about 150–430g; captive animals over 2kg