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Animal Size

Tailless tenrec size: How big do they get?

How big does a Tailless tenrec get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:

A grown Tailless tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus) reaches an average size of 32.7 cm (1′ 1″).

When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 6.25 years, they grow from 24 grams (0.05 lbs) to 894 grams (1.97 lbs). Talking about reproduction, Tailless tenrecs have 16 babies about 1 times per year. The Tailless tenrec (genus: Tenrec) is a member of the family Tenrecidae.

As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.

The average adult size of a Tailless tenrec is (1' 1

The tailless tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus), also known as the common tenrec, is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is the only member of the genus Tenrec. Native to Madagascar, it is also found in the Comoros, Mauritius, Réunion, and Seychelles, where it has been introduced. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, arable land, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas.The tailless tenrec is the largest species of the tenrec family, Tenrecidae. It is 26 to 39 cm (10 to 15½ in) in length and weighs up to 2 kilograms (4.4 lb). It has medium-sized, coarse grey to reddish-grey fur and long, sharp spines along its body. It not only eats small invertebrates among leaves, but also scavenges and hunts frogs and mice. If threatened, this tenrec will scream, erect its spiny hairs to a crest, jump, buck and bite. It shelters in a nest of grass and leaves under a rock, log or bush by day. It gives birth to a litter of as many as 32 young, with an average litter between 15-20 after a gestation of 50–60 days; when young, they have a black-and-white striped appearance. Despite being sometimes known as the tailless tenrec, they have a small tail 1 to 1.5 cm (⅜ to ½ in) in length.The tenrec is the first known tropical mammal found to hibernate for long stretches without arousal periods, up to nine months at a time. The Tailless tenrec is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Promoniliformis ovocristatus.

Animals of the same family as a Tailless tenrec

We found other animals of the Tenrecidae family:

Animals with the same size as a Tailless tenrec

Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Tailless tenrec:

Animals with the same life expectancy as a Tailless tenrec

Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Tailless tenrec:

Animals with the same weight as a Tailless tenrec

As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Tenrec ecaudatus: