Tenrecs Are Like Mini-Hedgehogs

A family of creatures found primarily in Madagascar, tenrecs come in all shapes, but only small sizes. Due to convergent evolution, tenrecs can look like anything from hedgehogs and opossums to shrews and mice; they can also occupy aquatic, arboreal, terrestrial, and fossorial enviroments, but not matter what form they take, baby tenrecs are always cute. The common tenrec is the largest of the family, and resembles a hedgehog; it has a length of up to 15.5 inches (39 centimeters) and a weight of up to 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms). Tenrec litters are usually about 15 to 20 relatively undeveloped babies, but can reach up to 32 individuals; they’re born after a 50-60 day gestation period and have a black and white striped appearance when young.Tenrecs are sometimes kept as exotic pets, but do to import restrictions, they have not become a popular animal to domesticate in the United States as of yet.