. An introduction to the study of mammals living and extinct. Mammals. CENTETID^ 637. Pig. 294.—Left lateral view of the skull of the Tenrec (Centetes ecaudatus). Reduced. Family CextetiDjE. Skull (Fig. 294) with a small cylindrical brain-case not con- stricted between the orbits, no zygomatic arch or postorbital pro- cess, and the tympanic annu- late and not forming a bulla. Upper molars tritubercular. Pubic sym- physis short; and the tibia and fibula either united or free. No caecum. The penis is pendent and retractile within the fold of the integument surrounding the anus ; the testes are a
. An introduction to the study of mammals living and extinct. Mammals. CENTETID^ 637. Pig. 294.—Left lateral view of the skull of the Tenrec (Centetes ecaudatus). Reduced. Family CextetiDjE. Skull (Fig. 294) with a small cylindrical brain-case not con- stricted between the orbits, no zygomatic arch or postorbital pro- cess, and the tympanic annu- late and not forming a bulla. Upper molars tritubercular. Pubic sym- physis short; and the tibia and fibula either united or free. No caecum. The penis is pendent and retractile within the fold of the integument surrounding the anus ; the testes are abdominal; the mammae are thoracic and ventral; and the uterine cornua are terminated by the Fallopian tubes. All the species are limited to Madagascar. Subfamily Centetinae.—Tibia and fibula distinct; testes near kidneys ; fur with spines. Centetes.'''—Dentition : i f, c ^, j? f, m f; total 38. Vertebrse : C 7, D 19, L 5, S 3, C 8. The single species is the well-known Tenrec (C. ecaudatus), characterised by the absence of a tail; it reaches a total length of from 12 to 16 inches, and is the largest known Insectivore. The adult males have long canines, the extremities of the lower pair being received into pits in front of the upper ones (Fig. 294). It is probably the most prolific of all mammals, since as many as twenty-one young are said to have been brought forth at a birth. The young have strong white spines arranged in longitudinal lines along the back, but these are lost in the adult animal, which is provided only with a nuchal crest of long rigid hairs. In rare instances a fourth upper molar may be developed. Hemicentetes.^—Dentition : i %, c \, p %, m %; total 40. This genus is represented by the two species H. semispinosus (of which the skull is shown in Fig. 295) and H. nigriceps. It differs from Centetes by the presence of the third upper incisor, the much smaller canines, and by the form of the skull. Both species are very much smaller than C. ecaudatus, and t
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Keywords: ., bookauthorly, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectmammals
