Streaked Tenrec Make Sounds Like Grasshoppers

Species One: Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus)

Status: Least Concern

Species Two: Highland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes nigriceps)

Status: Least Concern

These two species of streaked tenrec are the only mammals in the world who can produce a sound through the process of stridulation, which is the act of rubbing two body parts together to make a sound (just think of grasshoppers and crickets rubbing their legs together to produce chirping noises). The tenrecs produce their “stridulation” sound by rubbing highly specialized quills together. These special quills are different than all the other quills on the tenrec’s body.

the special stridulation quills

Other Facts:

• live only in the rainforests of Madagascar
• eat insects and grubs found in the soil and leaf litter of the rainforest floor, with earthworms being a favorite
• active at night and during the day
• Besides stridulation, tenrecs produce vocalized sound. Many of the vocalizations the tenrecs use to communicate are too high-pitched for human ears to detect.
• There are 30 other species of tenrec, including the web-footed aquatic tenrec (Limnogale mergulus) and the common tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus).

Video Clip from BBC’s nature documentary:

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sources: BBC Earth News, BBC Nature Wildlife