Weird and wonderful animals
Sive Finlay introduces us to the Lowland Streaked Tenrec
Above : Lowland Streaked Tenrec , Hemicentetes semispinosus
Members of the tenrec family display a whole host of quirky traits . For example , the common tenrec ( Tenrec ecaudatus ), an animal which is only around 30 cm and 2kg , holds the record for the largest litter size of any mammal at an astounding 32 babies !
In terms of sheer weirdness , my personal favourite tenrec oddity is the lowland streaked tenrec ( Hemicentetes semispinosus ). At just 15cm long and weighing 80-150g , these cute , yellow and black-striped critters are unobtrusive inhabitants of tropical rainforest areas in eastern and northern Madagascar . Their detachable , barbed quills are both a formidable defence to would-be predators and comprise a weird and wonderful means of communication . In the centre of their backs a special set of quills have been modified into a stridulating organ . Reminiscent of grasshoppers or crickets the stridulating quills are rubbed together to produce high-pitched sound . They are the only mammals to have evolved this strange communication method , a skill which is used to maintain contact within family groups . Look up David Attenborough ’ s BBC series on Madagascar to see a wonderful clip of the stridulating tenrecs in action . In short , although relatively understudied and poorly known outside of specialised circles , tenrecs are an awesome family filled with evolutionary oddities . The ingenious , unique communication found in H . semispinosus is just one trait which more than justifies tenrecs ’ inclusion into the annals of “ weird and wonderful ” animals .
Left : The tailless tenrec , Tenred ecaudatus , or Common Tenrec . Photo : Markus Fink .
Sive Finlay , a Zoology graduate is currently working as a postgraduate scholar with the Macroecology and Macroevolution group at TCD .
Tenrecs are interesting and fascinating mammals which , outside of the realms of zoology lectures , remain unknown to many people . A select group of just 31 species , these Madagascar natives have evolved into incredibly diverse individuals that resemble moles , shrews , hedgehogs and even otters ! Their striking similarities to other species are so strong that early taxonomists didn ’ t recognise tenrecs as being sister species . However , molecular studies established tenrecs as a clearly defined mammalian family which is more closely related to elephants and sea manatees than to hedgehogs or shrews !
SCIENCE SPIN Issue 58 Page 15