The cutest animals you’ve probably never heard of

Hello! My name is Rachael, and I am a member of the Ambassador Animals Team here at Zoo Atlanta. Today, I am here to tell you about one of the cutest animals you have probably never heard of – tenrecs! There are about 36 different species of tenrecs, and almost all of them are found exclusively on the island of Madagascar. Do yourself a favor and look up some pictures – they range from looking like hedgehogs to looking like Pokémon.

Here at the Zoo, we have seven Lesser Madagascar hedgehog tenrecs. If you have seen an Amy’s Tree Theater presentation or have seen an Educator on grounds at an animal encounter, you may have met one of our tenrecs. Although they may look like hedgehogs, they are actually more closely related to shrews. And while hedgehogs and tenrecs are both adorable, they are high maintenance and don’t make good pets. There are some weird sleep schedules and diets.

Over the summer, Thistle (mom) and Lance (dad) had four babies, and their cute little faces were on the Zoo’s social media! Tenrec mothers nurse and care for their babies for about three months before the babies can wander off on their own. These little guys are insectivores, so once they wean off their mother’s milk, they will start learning to eat and hunt bugs! Delicious.

Now that the weather is getting colder, all our tenrecs are going into torpor. This is somewhat similar to hibernation, but is much less extreme. During this time, they sleep a lot and eat only a little until the warm weather comes back. In Madagascar this looks a bit different.  Torpor happens during the dry season on the island when it is cooler, there is little rain, and far less bugs. So, these tenrecs will go into torpor until the rains come back along with all their favorite snacks!

While our tenrecs might be sleepy as winter approaches, we do have some cold loving animals like our long-tailed chinchillas who would love to see you!  

Rachael R.
Keeper II, Ambassador Animals