The nocturnal mammal from Madagascar that resembles a hedgehog but is more closely related to elephants is the tenrec.
Tenrecs belong to the family Tenrecidae, a diverse group endemic to Madagascar. Their spiny coats, pointed faces, and rounded bodies can make them look like hedgehogs, but the resemblance is an example of convergent evolution rather than close ancestry. Tenrecs are afrotherians, placing them on the same broad evolutionary branch as elephants, hyraxes, aardvarks, golden moles, and elephant shrews.
Most tenrec species are nocturnal and have poor eyesight, relying instead on sensitive whiskers and other well-developed senses. The family includes tiny shrew-like species as well as the common tenrec, which can weigh more than a kilogram. Their diets are varied, but insects and other invertebrates are important foods.
Scientists think Madagascar’s tenrecs descended from an ancestor that reached the island from Africa roughly 42–25 million years ago, possibly by rafting across the Mozambique Channel. “Tenrec” comes through French from the Malagasy word tandraka.