Pictures and facts about the Lesser hedgehog tenrec

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Lesser hedgehog tenrec

Order : Insectivora
Family : Tenrecidae
Subfamily : Tenrecinae
Species : Echinops telfairi

The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi) can be found in Southern and Southwestern Madagascar in the semidesert, coastal regions and dry forest. Their diet mainly consists of insect, but they eat fruit on the side. They are solitary, nocturnal animals who hibernate during the cold season. Tenrecs are widely diverse creatures, resembling hedgehogs, shrews, opossums, mice and even otters.

Interesting fact: The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi) is one of 16 mammalian species that will have its genome sequenced as part of the Mammalian Genome Project. During a studies of the genome, the analysis joined the tenrec, the African elephant (order Proboscidea) and the aardvark (order Tubulidentata) on a common branch (source).

Picture of the Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec by Pinky sl, licensed under GFDL

Facts about the lesser hedgehog tenrec

Genome Celebrity The lesser hedgehog tenrec is one of the obscure creatures recently selected as a target for DNA sequencing. (Full text)

Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec or Echinops telfairi is listed on the IUCN Red list (1996) as Lower Risk/Least Concern . (Full text)

Behavior: The lesser hedgehog tenrec is both terrestrial and arboreal, spending daytime hours resting under a log or in a hollow tree, although trees are widely scattered in its native habitat. (Full text)

the lesserhedgehog tenrec is among the few mammals that fall into metabolic torpor duringthe day but snap out of it in the evening. (Full text)

While many tenrec species are restricted to foraging on the forest floor, the pygmy or lesser hedgehog tenrec is an agile climber. (Full text)

Living in Madagascar's desert, the lesser hedgehog tenrec is among the few mammals that fall into metabolic torpor during the day but snap out of it in the evening. (Full text)