The large-eared tenrec (''Geogale aurita'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Tenrecidae. It is the only species in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Geogale'', and the only member of the subfamily Geogalinae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, but to a lesser extent than was previously thought and is listed by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

as being of "

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

". '' Geogale'' is thought to have split from the ancestors of its

sister clade In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

, the subfamily Oryzorictinae, about 30 million years ago.

Description

The large-eared tenrec is a small shrew-like animal with short, soft fur, a long hairy tail and large projecting ears. Adults weigh between and measure in length, with a tail half as long again. The dorsal (upper) surface is greyish brown or reddish brown and the ventral (under) surface is buffish white. The large-eared tenrec differs from other tenrecs in the family by having 34 teeth instead of 36. It is also unique within the family in that females come into oestrus while they are lactating and so are able to be carrying one

litter Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. The waste is objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, food wrappers, cardboard boxes or plastic bottles, but ...

while still feeding another.

Behaviour

The large-eared tenrec feeds on insects, particularly

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

s which it locates by sound. It is itself preyed on by several

predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

including the

barn owl The barn owls, owls in the genus '' Tyto'', are the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The ter ...

(''Tyto alba''), the

Madagascar owl The Madagascar owl (''Asio madagascariensis''), also known as the Madagascan owl or Madagascar long-eared owl, is a medium-sized owl endemic to the island of Madagascar. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the long-eared owl (''Asio ...

(''Asio madagascariensis''), the Malagasy cat-eye snake (''Madagascarophis colubrinus'') and the narrow-striped mongoose (''Mungotictis decemlineata''). The large-eared tenrec has a low

metabolic rate Metabolism (, from ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the co ...

and is heterothermic. This means that its body temperature fluctuates with the surrounding environment, although pregnant and lactating females may maintain a more steady, higher temperature. The animals are often torpid in the heat of the day, hiding in concealed locations such as hollow logs or holes. Reproduction has been little studied in this species, but the breeding season is between September and March. It is known that development can be arrested temporarily and the

gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregn ...

period may vary between about 54 and 69 days. A litter consists of up to five blind, deaf and helpless young and these are weaned when between 21 and 33 days old, soon after their eyes have opened.

Status

The large-eared tenrec is listed by the

in its

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

as being of "

". The population trend is unknown and although this tenrec has been recorded in various scattered areas of Madagascar, it is a small, inconspicuous animal and is likely to also be present in intervening locations. It had been thought to be restricted to dry deciduous forest but it has now also been found in grassland and is probably more resilient to disturbed habitat than had previously been realised. Some of the areas in which it occurs are in national parks and nature reserves.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q523970 Afrosoricida Mammals of Madagascar Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Mammals described in 1872 Taxa named by Alfred Grandidier Taxa named by Alphonse Milne-Edwards

Description

Behaviour

Status

See also

References