VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — For the first time in the facility's history, the Virginia Aquarium successfully bred a lesser Madagascar tenrec.
The baby tenrec was born on June 29. The baby weighed 11 grams and was around an inch long. Gestation for tenrecs is a two-month long process, and the Virginia Aquarium noted that their staff monitored the tenrec mother, Elise, in the weeks leading up to her due date.
The Virginia Aquarium says the birth of this tenrec marks a notable achievement for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). The baby tenrec will continue to be under the Virginia Aquarium's care until it is prepared to be moved to a permanent home at another AZA-accredited facility. The Virginia Aquarium says it will become "an ambassador for the species."
Lesser Madagascar tenrecs typically weigh between four to seven ounces and can grow to between five-point-five inches to seven inches, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. This species can live up to eight to 10 years in the wild, and about 13 years when cared for by humans.
Elise, the 9-year-old mother tenrec, was born at the Virginia Zoo before being moved to the Virginia Aquarium back in 2018. The father, named Squash, came from the Abilene Zoo in 2023.
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