Russian
English
Tailless tenrec, or Common tenrec(Tenrec ecaudatus)
Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — afrosoricida
Family — tenrecidae
Genus—tenrec
Appearance
The Tailless tenrec is the largest species of the tenrec family, Tenrecidae. It is 26 to 39 cm in length and weighs up to 2 kilograms (4.4 lb). It has medium-sized, coarse grey to reddish-grey fur and long, sharp spines along its body.
Habitat
Tailless tenrecs are native to Madagascar. They are also found in the Comoros, Mauritius, Réunion, and Seychelles, where these animals have been introduced.
Behavior
Tailless tenrecs are solitary creatures. They forage and hibernate alone. When males meet during the breeding season they will fight one another. These tenrecs are often seen swimming in rice paddies during forages. The burrows of Tailless tenrecs are usually located near streams. They use two types of burrows: a hibernating burrow and a burrow of an active animal. Tailless tenrecs are the first known tropical mammals that hibernate for long stretches without waking up. They can hibernate for up to nine months at a time. If threatened, Tailless tenrecs will scream, erect their spiny hairs to a crest, jump, buck, hiss and bite.
Diet
Tailless tenrecs are omnivores. They mainly feed on small invertebrates but also scavenge and hunt frogs and mice. Their diet also includes vegetation and fruits.
Reproduction
Tailless tenrecs exhibit a polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system. This means that both, males and females have multiple partners during a breeding season. These animals breed in October and November. Females give birth to a litter of 32 young, with an average litter between 15-20. The gestation period lasts around 50-60 days. At birth little hoglets have a black-and-white striped appearance. Their eyes open between 9-14 days. At three weeks they begin to forage with their mother. At around 4 weeks hoglets nurseless and begin to take solid food. The young molt their characteristic stripes at 36 days, and leave the nest shortly after. They continue forage with mother for some time after leaving the nest.
In captivity
A captive Common tenrec lives for 59 months.
They are kept in a spacious cage with a size of at least 100x50x60cm. As a substrate, you can use: coconut substratum, peat, bark, leaves, and various combined substrates.
The temperature is kept around 24-28 oC during the day and the temperature is lowered at night to 19-23 oC. The keeper should illuminate the terrarium with a fluorescent lamp. Also, at the bottom of the cage, you can put a heating pad with a thermostat.
Animals are kept only one at a time, as they fight with their relatives at every opportunity.
As a food you can give insects, minced meat, small mice, boiled eggs, meat for cats, crickets, mealworms, cockroaches, locusts, earthworms, food for hedgehogs, dried insects, bananas, sweet apples, watermelons, cottage cheese, yogurt. In any case, you cannot feed these animals milk.
