Tenrecs

The body temperature of tenrecs is maintained between 78.8–86°F (26–30°C). The activity levels of streaked tenrecs vary with the surrounding temperature. Increases in physical activity generate the extra body heat that they need to survive in colder conditions. On a normal day, with a daytime temperature of about 68°F (20°C), streaked tenrecs rest inside their burrows; by early evening, their activity level increases. At midnight, they start taking more frequent rests and, by dawn, they crawl back inside their shelters. However, when the outside temperature goes down to 60.8–64.4°F (16–18°C), tenrecs become much more active, both day and night. If the temperature gets colder than 60.8°F (16°C), even increased activity is insufficient to keep them warm, and they perish. Because the streaked tenrec inhabits moist areas with little temperature change, these animals rarely die of cold.

The habitat of tailless tenrecs, however, is much more variable than that of streaked tenrecs. On Madagascar, there is little rain in the winter, the land becomes very dry, and temperatures fall to as 50°F (10°C). At this point, tailless tenrecs, which have been accumulating fat all summer, roll into a ball and hibernate in their deep underground burrows for about six months. During hibernation, they are cold to the touch and breath about once every three minutes. During this time, they neither eat nor defecate.