Setifer setosus
Greater Hedgehog Tenrec

Setifer setosus^P1

Identification

A mid-sized tenrec. The body is grey-brown and is covered with non-detachable spines. The snout is long and pointed with long dark whiskers (vibrissae). (Garbutt, 1999)

Setifer setosus at RNP

Can be found on night walks, with luck.

Physical Characteristics

Diet & Feeding

Omnivorous, taking many insects, grubs and fruits. They forage in leaf-litter but will occasionally climb. They have also been found in human garbage tips.

They are nocturnal.

Behavior

Solitary. They live in burrows during the day which they line with leaves. They can become torpid in bad times, but they do not estivate the way Tenrec ecaudatus does.

The mating season is late September-mid October and births occur 2 months later. Litter size is 1 to 4 (average of 3). The young start to open their eyes at 9 days and complete the process by 14. They also start to take solid food and to follow their mother at this point.

Vocalizations

Grunts, squeaks and chirps.

Taxonomy

Mammalia -> Insectivora -> Tenrecidae (Tenrecinae) -> Setifer setosus

Garbutt, N. 1999, Mammals of Madagascar, Yale University Press

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Setifer setosus^P2