Tenrecs are small, insectivorous mammals once thought allied with the insectivores, and now on the basis of genetic studies, with the hodge-podge of certain placental mammals simply called 'afrotheres'. Other afrotheres from HE include the hyraxes, the aardvark, the elephant-shrews, the proboscideans, the sea cows, and the golden moles. Tenrecs, dating back to the Eocene, are certainly odd mammals, in any case, lacking jugal (cheek) bones and unable to maintain a constant body temperature. The greatest tenrecid diversity is to be found in Africa and Madagascar, but several species dwell in south-western Eurasia, while their fossil record shows even greater distribution during the Pliocene. Tenrecids from both worlds show a broad range of habits and adaptations, given their role as generall