Is a tenrec a reptile?

A tenrec is any species of mammal within the afrotherian family Tenrecidae endemic to Madagascar. Tenrecs are widely diverse; as a result of convergent evolution some resemble hedgehogs, shrews, opossums, rats, or mice. They occupy aquatic, arboreal, terrestrial and fossorial environments.

Do hedgehogs have cloacas?

Also, female lesser hedgehog tenrecs have a cloaca, which is a single reproductive, intestinal, and urinary opening, unlike most mammals, which have separate openings for each bodily function.

How many species of tenrecs are there?

tenrec, (family Tenrecidae), any of 29 species of shrewlike and hedgehoglike mammals. Most are endemic to Madagascar and nearby islands, but the otter shrews (subfamily Potamogalinae) are native to the African mainland.

Is a tenrec a hedgehog?

Found in Madagascar and parts of the African mainland, tenrecs closely resemble hedgehogs but, in fact, they’re unrelated. Dave White, team manager here at the zoo, explains: Although our new arrivals might look very similar in appearance to hedgehogs, they’re actually not related.

How many nipples do tenrecs have?

29 nipples
In fact, common tenrec females have 29 nipples. Female tenrecs must sometimes forage for food in daylight, when the danger presented by predators is the highest, to adequately nourish themselves, so that they are able to meet the huge demand for milk.

Are tenrecs venomous?

Arguably venomous mammals Tenrecs, which are similar in appearance to hedgehogs but from a different line of evolutionary descent, may also have separately evolved self-anointing behaviour.

Does the San Diego Zoo have hedgehogs?

Hedgehogs at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park eat a well-balanced diet of vegetables, cat kibble, pellets made for insectivores, crickets, and mealworms. Hedgehogs are active at night. They dig, chew, and forage through the darkest hours.

Are tenrecs poisonous?

What is the difference between a tenrec and a hedgehog?

Tenrecs have a long, narrow snout that almost looks rat-like. If it weren’t for the quills and barely visible tail, one might mistake tenrecs for a rat at a distance. Pet hedgehogs have skinny legs like a tenrec. However, they have four toes on the front paws and five toes on the back paws.

Can you bath tenrecs?

Quite the opposite to hedgehogs, tenrecs should be given sand baths (in enriched reptile sand preferably). Water baths should almost never be given as they can cause skin issues. Tenrecs are perfectly capable of using sand to exfoliate dead skin cells and regularly clean themselves.

Are tenrecs related to elephants?

Along with golden moles, scientists now consider tenrecs part of the Afrotheria, a grouping of African mammals with evolutionary connections that also contains the aardvark, sengis (or elephant-shrews), hyraxes, elephants and sea cows. Tenrecs are generally found in forest habitats.

Can tenrecs swim?

This small and, yes, adorable insectivore, also known as the web-footed tenrec, lives in Eastern Madagascar where at night it spends the majority of its time swimming and diving in fast-moving streams for insects and tadpoles.