Lowland Streaked Tenrec

The streaked tenrec is the only mammal known to use stridulation for generating sound, a method more commonly associated with insects and snakes.[13][14] Due to its rarity, there is not sufficient information regarding the functional-morphological mechanism of the streaked tenrec. The sounding quills are different from the spines and hair and are found in the mid-dorsal region of the streaked tenrec. The arrangement and length are similar throughout the streaked tenrec's life span, making up three rows in its midline area and adjacent areas bilaterally.[11] Cutaneous muscles underneath the quills were confirmed and are known as quill vibrator disc; they are around 16.8 mm long and 8.55 mm in width for an adult. These cutaneous muscles were the apparatus that contribute the vibration of the quills and production of sound for communication.[11][15]