Madagascar tenrecs are found on the island of Madagascar in the dry sandy regions. At Busch Gardens Williamsburg, tenrecs are fed a combination of mealworms, feline diet, dog food, grapes and vitamins. Tenrecs are useful to humans because they consume large amounts of insects and small invertebrates. A tenrec's coat is made up of thick stiff hairs that look very much like spines or quills. Its belly is covered with short soft hair.
Tenrecs are nocturnal and quite shy.
They spend their time foraging for insects and vegetation or sleeping in an underground burrow. When scared, tenrecs curl up in a ball with their spines erect to protect them from predators. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted by Busch Gardens Williamsburg for classroom teachers to make reprographic copies of worksheets for noncommercial use. This permission does not extend to copying for promotional purposes, creating new collective works, or resale.