Afrosoricida,源自拉丁语 Āfrica（"非洲"）和拉丁语 sorex（"鼩鼱、鼩鼱鼠"）,意思是 "看起来像非洲鼩鼱",指的是这些动物与鼩鼱（Eulipotyphla 目,Soricidae 科）非常相似.

Afrosoricida, from Latin Āfrica (“Africa”) and Latin sorex (“shrew, shrew-mouse”), means “looking like African shrews”, in reference to the fact that these animals have a strong similarity with shrews (Eulipotyphla order, Soricidae family).

種的俗名 Common names of members

金毛鼹,馬島蝟,獭鼩.

Golden moles, tenrecs, and otter-shrews.

分佈 Distribution 

金毛鼴 (金毛鼹亚目): 南非

馬島蝟 (马岛猬科): 马达加斯加和非洲中西部

獭鼩 (马岛猬科): 撒哈拉以南非洲

Golden moles (Family Chrysochloridae): Southern Africa

Tenrecs (Family Tenrecidae): Madagascar and western central Africa

Otter-shrews (Family Tenrecidae): Sub-Saharan Africa

體型 Size

牠们往往是小型动物,体长从 4 公分到 39 公分不等.

They tend to be small animals varying from 4 cm to 39 cm in length.

形態描述 Morphology

某些种类在生态学上与刺猬、鼩鼱或微型水獭有些相似.牠们的皮毛从光滑到多刺不等,毛色也从棕色到灰色不等,上臼齿呈 V 形.牠们有泄殖腔（用于排泄和性交的单一开口）,雄性没有阴囊.

Certain species bear some ecological similarity to hedgehogs, soricid shrews, or miniature otters. Their coat can vary from smooth to spiny and the coloration of the fur can also vary from brown to gray, with v-shaped ridge upper molars. They have cloaca (a single opening for excretion and sexual intercourse) and males lack a scrotum.

生態及棲息地 Ecology & Habitat

金毛鼴 (金毛鼹亚目): 地下生物,生活在森林、沼泽、沙漠和山区等各种环境中.

馬島蝟 (马岛猬科):森林和其他封闭环境

獭鼩 (马岛猬科): 热带雨林中的淡水水生微生境.喜欢的环境包括水流湍急的河流、溪流、沼泽和沿海河流.

Golden moles (Family Chrysochloridae): Subterranean, living in a variety of environments, such as forests, swamps, deserts and mountainous terrains.

Tenrecs (Family Tenrecidae): Forests and other closed environments.

Otter-shrews (Family Tenrecidae): Freshwater aquatic microhabitats in the rainforest. Preferred environments include fast flowing rivers, streams, swamps, and coastal rivers.

食性 Diet

金毛鼴 (金毛鼹亚目): 肉食性、小昆虫和蚯蚓或小型脊椎动物,如蜥蜴或穴居蛇.

馬島蝟 (马岛猬科): 杂食性,以无脊椎动物为主食.

獭鼩 (马岛猬科): 肉食性,捕食任何水生动物,尤其是昆虫.

Golden moles (Family Chrysochloridae): carnivorous, small insects and earthworms or small vertebrates such as lizards or burrowing snakes.

Tenrecs (Family Tenrecidae): omnivorous, with invertebrates forming the largest part of their diets. 

Otter-shrews (Family Tenrecidae): carnivorous, preying on any aquatic animal, particularly insects.

繁殖  Reproduction 

金毛鼴: 雌性会用草在地下洞穴中筑巢.每只雌性每次繁殖可产下 1-3 只后代.

馬島蝟: 大多数的馬島蝟的产仔数较多（多达 30 只）. 

獭鼩 (马岛猬科): 牠们每胎产一到两只幼崽,每年一到两次.雄性会通过水路长途跋涉寻找配偶,人们认为雄性会在雨季发情（掙斗）.

Golden moles: Females will use grass to make a nest in the underground burrow. Each female gives birth to 1-3 offspring during each reproduction.

Tenrecs: Most of the tenrecs have a large litter size (up to 30 babies). 

Otter-shrews (Family Tenrecidae): They give birth to one or two young per litter, once or twice a year. Males move long distances via water in search of mates and it is thought that males rut (or fight) during the wet season.

已知的物種

Total species known

55

博物館收藏的物種

Species in the collection

1

在香港已知的物種

Species in Hong Kong

0

References

- Stephenson, P. J., Soarimalala, V., Goodman, S. M., Nicoll, M. E., Andrianjakarivelo, V., Everson, K. M., Hoffmann, M., Jenkins, P. D., Olson, L. E., Raheriarisena, M., Rakotondraparany, F., Rakotondravony, D., Randrianjafy, V., Ratsifandrihamanana, N., Taylor, A. (2021). Review of the status and conservation of tenrecs (Mammalia: Afrotheria: Tenrecidae). Oryx, 55(1), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605318001205.

- Asher, R.J., Maree, S., Bronner, G., Bannett, N. C., Bloomer, P., Czechowski, P., Meyer, M., Hofreiter, M. (2010). A phylogenetic estimate for golden moles (Mammalia, Afrotheria, Chrysochloridae). BMC Ecology and Evolution, 10(69). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-10-69. 

- Everson, K. M., Soarimalala, V., Goodman, S. M., Olson,  L. E. (2016). Multiple Loci and Complete Taxonomic Sampling Resolve the Phylogeny and Biogeographic History of Tenrecs (Mammalia: Tenrecidae) and Reveal Higher Speciation Rates in Madagascar's Humid Forests. Systematic Biology, 65(5) 890–909, https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syw034. 

- Symonds, M. R. E. (2017). Phylogeny and life histories of the ‘Insectivora’: controversies and consequences. Biological Reviews, 80(1), 93-128. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1464793104006566.

- Amori, G., Milana, G., Rotondo, C., Luiselli, L. (2015). Macro-ecological patterns of the endemic Afrosoricida and Rodentia of Madagascar. Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy, 26(1), 53-57. https://doi.org/10.4404/hystrix-26.1-11304. 

- Skinner, J. D., Chimimba, C. T. (2005). The Mammals of the Southern African Sub-region. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107340992.