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Nearly a splitting image of its namesake, a Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfari) is a remarkable example of convergent evolution. All of Madagascar's tenrecs, which are more closely related to golden moles and elephant shrews, are descendent from a single colonizing ancestor, which has diversified into a variety of species to fill various niches. This particularly spiny one is native to the island's arid southwest, where it forages for ground insects much like the European hedgehogs. Toliara, Madagascar.

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Madagascar, Mammals
Nearly a splitting image of its namesake, a Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfari) is a remarkable example of convergent evolution. All of Madagascar's tenrecs, which are more closely related to golden moles and elephant shrews, are descendent from a single colonizing ancestor, which has diversified into a variety of species to fill various niches. This particularly spiny one is native to the island's arid southwest, where it forages for ground insects much like the European hedgehogs. Toliara, Madagascar.