Head to head
Common Tenrec vs Lowland Streaked Tenrec
The common tenrec and the lowland streaked tenrec both belong to Madagascar's remarkably diverse tenrec family, but they could hardly look more different, one a large, plain-coated generalist, the other a small, boldly striped specialist that communicates by rubbing its quills together.
| Common Tenrec | Lowland Streaked Tenrec | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Tenrec ecaudatus | Hemicentetes semispinosus |
| Size | The largest living tenrec | Much smaller, about 12 to 19 cm |
| Colouring | Not boldly patterned | Bold black-and-yellow striped pattern |
| Communication | No specialised sound-making organ | Rubs quills together to produce sound (stridulation) |
| Typical litter size | Can exceed two dozen young | Large, but lives in extended family groups |
| Social structure | Not a defining trait | Lives in extended family groups |
| Habitat | Forest and grassland broadly | Humid lowland rainforest of eastern Madagascar specifically |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Common Tenrec vs Lowland Streaked Tenrec: common questions
Which tenrec can make sound with its quills?
The lowland streaked tenrec, which has a specialised patch of quills on its back that it vibrates against one another to produce a high-pitched sound, a method of sound production called stridulation that is almost unknown among mammals; the common tenrec has no comparable ability.
Which is bigger, the common tenrec or the lowland streaked tenrec?
The common tenrec, which is the largest living tenrec species, considerably bigger than the lowland streaked tenrec, which typically measures only about 12 to 19 centimetres.
Are the common tenrec and lowland streaked tenrec both really tenrecs, despite looking so different?
Yes, both belong to the same remarkably diverse tenrec family native to Madagascar, which has evolved into a wide range of forms filling ecological roles occupied elsewhere by hedgehogs, shrews, moles, and otters.