Mammal · GBIF taxon 2432143
Lowland Streaked Tenrec
Hemicentetes semispinosusAlso known as Streaked Tenrec
Lowland streaked tenrecs are among the few mammals capable of stridulation, rubbing specialized dorsal quills together to produce high-frequency clicks that keep foraging family groups in acoustic contact. By day, extended family clans shelter together inside shallow communal burrows, emerging at dusk to probe damp soil with long, sensitive snouts. When threatened, an individual flares its bright yellow neck quills forward and bucks violently to impale the snout of an intruder.
StripedSocialInsectivorous
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Earthworms
- Beetle Larvae
- Soil Invertebrates
Predators
- Fossa
- Malagasy Ring-tailed Vontsira
- Madagascar Boa
ThreatsDeforestation from slash-and-burn agriculture and bushmeat hunting
HabitatsTropical lowland rainforests, forest edges, and secondary scrub
Life span2–3 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderAfrosoricida
- FamilyTenrecidae
- GenusHemicentetes
- SpeciesHemicentetes semispinosus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Sharp, barbed quills detach into skin when touched; observe peacefully from a safe distance.
- Why it is dangerous
- Barbed defensive quills detach easily upon contact, driving deeply into skin and causing painful puncture wounds prone to infection.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Recognizable by vivid yellow and black longitudinal stripes and a spiked crest around the neck.
- What to do
- Never handle or corner an individual; allow it uninterrupted passage across the forest floor.
Responsible observation
- Forest-Floor Spotting: Scan damp leaf litter along lowland rainforest trails at dusk when family bands emerge.
- Listening for Clicks: Listen for faint, high-pitched quill rattles produced as foraging groups stay in contact.
Predator (c) Micha Baum, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Micha Baum · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Esther Böck, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Family Relative (c) Michael A. Alcorn, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Michael A. Alcorn · cc-by
Family Relative (c) Nick Block, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Nick Block · cc-by
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