Tailless tenrec
| Tailless tenrec[1] | |
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Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Afrosoricida |
| Suborder: | Tenrecomorpha |
| Family: | Tenrecidae |
| Subfamily: | Tenrecinae |
| Genus: | Tenrec Lacépède,1799 |
| Species: | T. ecaudatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Tenrec ecaudatus (Schreber,1778)
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| Tailless tenrec range | |
Thetailless tenrec(Tenrec ecaudatus), also known as thecommon tenrec,is aspeciesofmammalin the familyTenrecidae.It is theonly memberof thegenusTenrec.Native toMadagascar,it is also found on theComoros,Mauritius,Réunion,andSeychellesisland groups, where it has been purposely introduced.[2]Its natural habitat is the understory of subtropical-tropical forest, open forest, arid shrub-land,savanna,arable land, pastures, crop plantations, private gardens, and some landscaped, urban areas.[2]
The tailless tenrec is the largest species of the tenrec family, Tenrecidae. It is 26 to 39 cm (10 to 15 in) in length and weighs up to 2 kilograms (4.4 lb).[2]It has medium-sized, coarse grey to reddish-grey fur and long, sharp spines along its body. The animal isomnivorousand, unlike theherbivorousrodentsfor which it is often mistaken, possesses small, needle-like sharp teeth for a diet of largerinvertebrates,frogs,reptiles,miceand other small mammals, as well as fruits, leaves and other vegetation.[3]If threatened, this tenrec will scream, erect its spiny hairs to a crest, jump, buck and bite. It shelters in a nest of grass and leaves under a rock, log or bush by day. It gives birth to a litter of as many as 32 young, with an average litter between 15 and 20 after agestationof 50–60 days; when young, they have a black-and-white striped appearance. Despite being sometimes known as the tailless tenrec, they have a small tail 1 to 1.5 cm (0.39 to 0.59 in) in length.
The tailless tenrec was the first tropical mammal observed to hibernate, for long stretches of time without waking periods, up to nine months at a time.[4]The tailless tenrec is a host of theacanthocephalanintestinal parasitePromoniliformis ovocristatus.[5]
References
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- ^Bronner, G.N.; Jenkins, P.D. (2005)."Order Afrosoricida".InWilson, D.E.;Reeder, D.M (eds.).Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference(3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 77.ISBN978-0-8018-8221-0.OCLC62265494.
- ^abcdStephenson, P.J.; Soarimalala, V.; Goodman, S. (2016)."Tenrec ecaudatus".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2016:e.T40595A97204107.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T40595A97204107.en.Retrieved19 November2021.
- ^"Tenrec ecaudatus (Tailless tenrec)".Animal Diversity Web.
- ^Gruber, K. G. (23 October 2014)."Mammals may have slept through dinosaur extinction".Australian Geographic.Retrieved2019-02-02.
- ^Dollfus, Robert-Ph.; Golvan, Yves-J. (1963)."Sur un singulier Métacanthocéphale parasite d'insectivores (Tenrecinae) de Madagascar et des Comores"(PDF).Annales de Parasitologie Humaine et Comparée.38(5): 793–806.doi:10.1051/parasite/1963385793.RetrievedFebruary 9,2020.
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