The clade Afrosoricida (a Latin-Greek compound name which means “looking like African shrews”) contains three groups of small mammals that were regarded as a part of the Insectivora or Lipotyphla in the 19th and 20th centuries. These include the golden moles of Southern Africa, the otter shrews of equatorial Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar.
As a rule, tenrecs and otter shrews tend to be small animals varying from 4 to 39 cm in length. There is no pronounced body type since they have evolved to occupy a number of small-bodied, faunivorous niches in Madagascar (tenrecines) and mainland Africa (potamogalines). However, certain species bear some ecological similarity to hedgehogs, soricid shrews, or miniature otters. Their coat can vary from smooth to spiny and the coloration of the fur can also vary from brown to gray. Most species are also nocturnal and have poor eyesight. Their whiskers are rather sensitive, and they can detect very minute vibrations in the ground to locate their prey.
Source: Wikipedia
Family Tenrecidae
Subfamily Tenrecinae
Hemicentetes semispinosus (Lowland Streaked Tenrec) (Andasibe, Madagascar)
Setifer setosus (Greater Hedgehog Tenrec) (Akanin’ ny Nofy, Madagascar)
