Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various insectivorous often nocturnal mammals of the family Tenrecidae of Madagascar and parts of central Africa.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A Madagascar hedgehog; any insectivorous mammal of the family Centetidæ, as Centetes ecaudatus, Ericulus spinosus, and Echinops telfairi. The rice-tenrec is Oryzoryctes hova. Also tang. See cut under sokinah.
  • noun [capitalized] [NL. (Lacépède. 1798), and in the form Tanrecus (Desmarest, 1825).] A generic name for the species of Centetidæ: same as Centetes in a former broad sense.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) A small insectivore (Centetes ecaudatus), native of Madagascar, but introduced also into the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius; -- called also tanrec. The name is applied to other allied genera. See tendrac.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of several diverse small mammals, of the family Tenrecidae, many native to Madagascar.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun small often spiny insectivorous mammal of Madagascar; resembles a hedgehog

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Malagasy tandraka.]

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Examples

  • The insectivorous tenrec Tenrec ecaudatus, introduced to the Seychelles from Madagascar, also occurs.

    Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, Seychelles 2008

  • Kerns, 25, talked about his life as a zookeeper, and as he spoke he held in his hands a tiny tenrec named Pandora.

    An interview with a zookeeper from the National Zoo 2010

  • As Jonathan Martin reports, Newt is playing that game too with the help of some friends from the Des Moines zoo: a baby American alligator, a hedgehog tenrec, a barred owl, a leopard gecko and a bunny. print share

    Happy Hour Roundup 2009

  • As Jonathan Martin reports, Newt is playing that game too with the help of some friends from the Des Moines zoo: a baby American alligator, a hedgehog tenrec, a barred owl, a leopard gecko and a bunny.

    Happy Hour Roundup 2009

  • Other near endemic mammal species living at the middle to upper reaches of eastern mountains include the rice tenrec (Oryzorictes tetradactylus), found only in the south central highlands, highland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes nigriceps), several shrew-tenrecs (e.g. Microgale gracilis, M. gymnorhyncha, and M. monticola), and a species of tuft-tailed rat (Eliurus majori).

    Madagascar ericoid thickets 2008

  • Near-endemic mammals include the large-eared tenrec (Geogale aurita), and the lesser hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi).

    Madagascar spiny thickets 2008

  • Near-endemics include the large-eared tenrec (Geogale aurita), the lesser hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi), and Coquerel's dwarf lemur (Mirza coquerli).

    Madagascar succulent woodlands 2008

  • The main species threatened by hunting are the tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus), fruit bats (Pteropus rufus and Eidolon helvum), and the red-fronted brown lemur.

    Madagascar succulent woodlands 2008

  • Somewhere between these two groups stands a missing link, a species called Cryptogale australis—in English, “the secretive southern tenrec.”

    The Song of The Dodo David Quammen 2004

  • The male tenrec has no scrotum, instead retaining its testes inside its abdomen.

    The Song of The Dodo David Quammen 2004

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