By Nancy Shefferly
Geographic Range
The streaked tenrec occurs on Madagascar only.
Habitat
The streaked tenrec inhabits rain forests and brushland habitats. Single animals construct a burrow containing a nesting chanber which is accessible through a 200-500mm tunnel. Groups of animals may construct much more elaborate burrow systems, with several meters of tunnels.
Terrestrial Biomes:
rainforest 
; scrub forest .
Physical Description
The head and body length of H. semispinosus is 160 to 190 mm with the vestigial tail adding to their length. The pelage is spiny and sharply pointed. The ground color is black, but the two subspecies differ in markings. Hemicentetes semispinosus nigriceps has distinct whitish markings, whereas H. s. semispinosus has chestnut markings. The markings, which are more distinct in H. s. semispinosus, consist of a number of longitusinal stripes on the sides and on the back. The two subspecies also differ in the color and testure of hairs covering the belly. In H.s. semispinous, the hairs on the underside are very spiny, and chestnut brown in color. Hemicentetes spinosus nigriceps, however, has soft whitish or bugffy hairs on its underside.
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
Mating season for these animals runs from September through December. Young are born in March after a gestation of 55-63 days. The two subspecies differ dramatically in litter size. Hemicentetes s. nigriceps litters range from 2-4 young, wheras H. s. semispinosus litters can be as large as 11 young. Females reach reproductive maturity very quickly, sometimes breeding when they are only 5 weeks old.
Key reproductive features:
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual .
Behavior
The social grouping of H. semispinosus seems variable. Typical groups contain one or two adult animals and several young, but groups with as many as 4 adults have been reported. Male and females maintain lengthy associations. The streaked tenrec is a fairly vocal animal. Among the sounds audible to humans are a noisy "crunch" and a "putt- putt" sound which occur during agonistic encounters. Mothers and their dependent offspring communicate locate one another by vibrating specialized quills on their middorsal region. This process, which produces a sound, is known as stridulation.
Key behaviors:
motile .
Food Habits
The diet of H. semispinosus consists primarily of earthworms, which it obtains by inserting its relatively long and slender snout into the roots of grasses or under leaves.
Contributors
Nancy Shefferly (author), Animal Diversity Web Staff.
