Species

This section of the website is dedicated to sharing information about the different types of tiles and tenrecs. It contains information about their natural habitat, climate, flora and fauna living in their natural habitat and all important information about the species not related to keeping it as a pet. Care information about hedgehogs and tenrecs as pets can be found in the various online courses we offer on our website.

Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are small mammals with spines that occur on the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. Hedgehogs belong to the family ‘Erineceidae’ and to the subfamily ‘Erinaceinae’. There are five genera in that subfamily containing a total of 19 species. All types are listed below.

Atelerix albiventris

North African hedgehog

Atelerix algirus

Atelerix frontalis

Atelerix sclateri

Erinaceus amurensis

Erinaceus concolor

Erinaceus europaeus

Erinaceus roumanicus

Hemiechinus auritus

Hemiechinus collaris

Paraechinus aethiopicus

Paraechinus hypomelas

Paraechinus micropus

Paraechinus nudiventris

Gymnures

Gymnures are closely related to hedgehogs: they both belong to the same hedgehog family ‘Erinaceidae’, but gymnures belong to the subfamily ‘Galericinae’. This subfamily contains six genera containing a total of fifteen species. All types are listed below.

Echinosorex gymnura

Tenrecs

Tenrecs are small mammals from the family ‘Tenrecidae’. Although they may look very similar to some species of hedgehogs and gymnures, they are unrelated. Through a form of ‘convergent evolution’ these animals may look alike and have similar habitats and needs in captivity. The family has three subfamilies. Below are all types, 30 in total.

Microgale brevicaudata

Microgale drouhardi

Least shrew tenrec

Microgale pusilla

Lesser hedgehog tenrec

Echinops telfairi

Highland streaked tenrec

Hemicentetes nigriceps

Lowland streaked tenrec

Hemicentetes semispinosus

Greater hedgehog tenrec

Setifer setosus

Common tenrec

Tenrec ecaudatus

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