Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Madagascar Hedgehog Shrew)

The lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) belongs to the family Tenrecidae in the order Afrosoricida, and more specifically to the subfamily of the spiny tenrecs Tenrecinae. The species is found in the tropical lowland rainforest, in the northern and eastern parts of Madagascar. The streaked tenrec lives in long, shallow burrows which are usually occupied by family groups, consisting of up to 20 animals.

The lowland streaked tenrec looks kind of like a mix between a shrew and a hedgehog. Its backside is covered with quills and fur, while its underside is covered in soft hair. True to its name, the lowland streaked tenrec has four yellow streaks running the length of its body. It also has a long, pointed snout, no tail, big ears, and small eyes. It’s a small creature, reaching only about 5.5 inches in length and about 4.5-10 ounces in weight.

Tenrecs communicate using a variety of sensory cues, including visual, mechanical (touch), olfactory (smell), and auditory signals. Examples of communication methods include touching noses, squeaking, tongue clicking, and chattering. Tenrecs also use their quills to communicate. For instance, the spines on the top of the head and around the neck are raised when the animal is agitated or threatened. Agitation is frequently accompanied by stamping of the feet and chattering or “crunching” noises. Unlike other tenrecs, the Lowland Streaked Tenrec cannot curl up into a spiky ball to protect itself. If the opponent does not retreat, the tenrec will rush and head-butt its attacker, dislodging its head spines into its enemy. Some know predators of the lowland streaked tenrec include Dumeril’s boa, Malagasy ring-tailed mongooses, Malagasy fossas, Malagasy civets, and humans.

But one form of communication among lowland streaked tenrecs that have been of particular interest to researchers is stridulation, The streaked tenrec is the only mammal known to use stridulation for generating sound, a method more commonly associated with insects and snakes which possess stridulation organs. The lowland streaked tenrec has a stridulation organ consisting of a small number of specialized quills on its back. By rubbing these quills together in rapid succession, the tenrec is able to produce a high-pitched ultrasonic call. The sound produced is too high to be perceived by human ears.

Stridulation appears to be used mainly for communication during foraging, although it is suspected that the high-pitched sounds might also serve as a warning mechanism for predators. Along with stridulation, these animals communicate through tongue-clicking to turn away intruders. It’s also possible that they use echolocation (locate objects with sound rather than sight), but this supposition is not proven yet.

The lowland streaked tenrec is active both during the day and at night. Its diet is made up primarily of earthworms, but it will sometimes prey on other invertebrates as well. They are able to stomp on the ground with their legs which could lead to increased earthworm activity so they would be able to find them more easily. If they get separated from their group they are able to send out sound vibrations using their quills which the other tenrecs can hear and subsequently lead the lost tenrec back to their group. Feeding upon worms, Lowland streaked tenrecs control populations of these invertebrates, thus playing an important role in the ecosystem of their habitat.

The streaked tenrec has an ability to enter torpor seasonally however, it is dependent on altitude, age, fat stores, and temperature. Torpor for this species generally occurs during June and July and during winter. However, The streaked tenrec is a facultative hibernator in response to environmental conditions. Facultative hibernation occurs only when the animal faces cold or food stress and will come out of torpor during winter and forage.

During the mating season, males compete with each other, engaging in fights in order to attract the attention of receptive females. Lowland tenrecs mate in September-December. The gestation period lasts for 55 – 63 days, yielding 2 – 11 young with an average of 5 – 8 per litter. Male Lowland tenrecs are careful to young. Weaning occurs at 18 – 25 days old. Females of this species reach sexual maturity as early as 25 days old, being the only tenrecs that begin breeding during the same season in which they were born.

These lowland-streaked tenrecs are threatened primarily by the loss of their natural habitat due to continuous deforestation, as it is with many other animals in the Madagascar region. This species is also being hunted for food.

According to IUCN, the Lowland streaked tenrec is very abundant and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. The current population trend of this species is unknown, they are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.