Unidan, AKA Ben Eisenkop, is an ecosystem ecologist who first rose to fame (infamy?) on Reddit by popping up in posts across the site, answering any queries and concepts pertaining to biology and ecology. Eisenkop will be a columnist for Upvoted, where he’ll be spotlighting a new creature every week.

To answer your first question, no, this is not a hedgehog that is down on its luck. This is a tenrec, specifically, a lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus)! That said, the comparison is actually quite apt, as tenrecs, across their very varied taxonomy (four families representing ten genera), resemble many familiar animals from hedgehogs to shrews to otters. This is through convergent evolution: The process where animals settle on similar traits due to facing similar evolutionary pressures, even if the two animals aren’t necessarily closely related genetically.

The lowland streaked tenrec is a small carnivorous mammal found on the eastern coast of Madagascar. As if designed by Wiz Khalifa himself, it sports a highly contrasting black and yellow pelage. Not only is it covered in tiny sharped quills (of which some are barbed and detach like a porcupine’s), but it is also armed with tiny needle-like teeth, which it uses to snatch up earthworms and other soft-bodied insects as it digs through the leaf-litter of the Madagascan forests using its elongated snout.

While the sharp spines on the lowland streaked tenrec are primarily used for defense, they do have a second use: communication. In order to stay with their family groups, members check in via stridulation, the act of rubbing body parts together to produce sound. This behavior is most commonly seen in the calls of insects such as grasshoppers and crickets; however, the lowland streaked tenrec is one of the few mammalian examples! These high frequency sounds pierce through the usual din of the forest, allowing parents, offspring and siblings to locate one another.

Videographers and researchers such as Emma Napper, who helped to produce the video from the BBC below, needed to use bat detectors in order to pick up on the tenrec’s ultrasonic spine sounds, which is incredibly cool. Here they are in action:

Like much of Madagascar’s incredible biological diversity, many species of tenrecs are under the threat of habitat loss from deforestation. If you’re interested in learning more and helping the conservation efforts in Madagascar, consider making a donation to the World Wildlife Fund here.