Tenrecomorpha | |
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Lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) | |
Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Afrosoricida |
Suborder: |
Tenrecomorpha Butler, 1972 [1] |
Superfamilies and Families | |
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Tenrecomorpha is the suborder of otter shrews and tenrecs, a group of afrotherian mammals indigenous to equatorial Africa and Madagascar, respectively. [2] [3] The two families are thought to have split about 47–53 million years ago. [3] [4] [5] Potamogalid otter shrews were formerly considered a subfamily of Tenrecidae. [3] The suborder is also presumed to contain the extinct genus Plesiorycteropus, a group of possibly fossorial insectivores similar to aardvarks, which is known to be more closely related to tenrecs of subfamily Tenrecinae than to golden moles of suborder Chrysochloridea. [6]
Otter shrews are carnivorous and semiaquatic, preying on any aquatic animal they can find with their sensitive whiskers. All tenrecs are believed to descend from a common ancestor that lived 29–37 million years (Ma) ago [3] [4] [5] after rafting from Africa to Madagascar in a single event. [7] [8] Tenrecs are widely diverse; as a result of convergent evolution they resemble hedgehogs, shrews, opossums or mice. All tenrecs appear to be at least somewhat omnivorous, with invertebrates forming the largest part of their diets.
Tenrecomorpha | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Afrosoricida |
Suborder: |
Tenrecomorpha Butler, 1972 [1] |
Superfamilies and Families | |
![]() |
Tenrecomorpha is the suborder of otter shrews and tenrecs, a group of afrotherian mammals indigenous to equatorial Africa and Madagascar, respectively. [2] [3] The two families are thought to have split about 47–53 million years ago. [3] [4] [5] Potamogalid otter shrews were formerly considered a subfamily of Tenrecidae. [3] The suborder is also presumed to contain the extinct genus Plesiorycteropus, a group of possibly fossorial insectivores similar to aardvarks, which is known to be more closely related to tenrecs of subfamily Tenrecinae than to golden moles of suborder Chrysochloridea. [6]
Otter shrews are carnivorous and semiaquatic, preying on any aquatic animal they can find with their sensitive whiskers. All tenrecs are believed to descend from a common ancestor that lived 29–37 million years (Ma) ago [3] [4] [5] after rafting from Africa to Madagascar in a single event. [7] [8] Tenrecs are widely diverse; as a result of convergent evolution they resemble hedgehogs, shrews, opossums or mice. All tenrecs appear to be at least somewhat omnivorous, with invertebrates forming the largest part of their diets.