Possessing a strange appearance with many bristling spines and colorful colors, the hedgehog Hemicentetes semispinosus is quite a shy animal.
The striped-haired Tenrec has the scientific name Hemicentetes semispinosus. This species only lives in one place, the island of Madagascar.
Although they often ruffle their feathers to scare them, making them somewhat scary, in fact , striped-haired Tenrecs are harmless and shy.
The striped Tenrec is a mammal in the family Tenrecidae, order Afrosoricida and was first described in 1798 by French naturalist and zoologist Georges Cuvier.
The main habitat of Hemicentetes semispinosus is shallow water or underground burrows. When mature, each animal is only 14-17cm long and weighs 125-280g.
Many people mistakenly believe that the striped Tenrec is a cross between a hedgehog and a shrew, because it looks quite similar to these two animals.
They have 4 short legs and a sharp snout like a shrew, but their whole body is covered with round, pointed and very hard hair.
They also have the ability to launch these sharp feathers when threatened. This is the way some porcupines in the wild often use to chase away enemies.
However, the species Hemicentetes semispinosus is different from hedgehogs and mice in that they can bump the feathers on their backs together to create a rattling sound.
Bumping the feathers on their backs together is also a way they use to communicate between family members. This behavior is called vocalization and they are the only mammals that possess this ability.
Despite possessing sharp spines all over its body, Hemicentetes semispinosus is a colonial species when each family has about 20 individuals living together.
The striped-haired Tenrec can also attack animals that are dangerous to itself with poisonous spines around its neck.
Tenrecs are insectivores from Madagascar, which is also home to many exotic animals, including Aye aye monkeys and lemurs.
