Tenrec
Family of small mammals / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A tenrec (/ˈtɛnrɛk/) is a mammal belonging to any species within the afrotherian family Tenrecidae, which is endemic to Madagascar.[2] Tenrecs are a very diverse group; as a result of convergent evolution,[3] some resemble hedgehogs, shrews, opossums, rats, and mice. They occupy aquatic, arboreal, terrestrial, and fossorial environments. Some of these species, including the greater hedgehog tenrec, can be found in the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. However, the speciation rate in this group has been higher in humid forests.[4]
Tenrecidae | |
---|---|
Tailless tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Afrosoricida |
Suborder: | Tenrecomorpha |
Family: | Tenrecidae Gray, 1821 |
Type genus | |
Tenrec Lacépède, 1799 | |
Subfamilies | |
Black: Tenrecinae ; Blue: Tenrecinae and Oryzorictinae ; Red: Geogalinae and Tenrecinae ; Purple: Geogalinae , Oryzorictinae and Tenrecinae |
All tenrecs are believed to descend from a common ancestor that lived 29–37 million years ago[4][5][6] after rafting over from Africa.[7][8] The split from their closest relatives, African otter shrews, is estimated to have occurred about 47–53 million years ago.[4][5][6]