Large-eared Tenrec

Open encyclopedia reference

The large-eared tenrec (Geogale aurita) is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Geogale, and the only member of the subfamily Geogalinae. It is endemic to Madagascar where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss, but to a lesser extent than was previously thought and is listed by the IUCN as being of "Least Concern".

Geogale is thought to have split from the ancestors of its sister clade, the subfamily Oryzorictinae, about 30 million years ago.

Wikipedia contributors, Large-eared tenrec; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:55:07.908813+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Geogale aurita A. Milne-Edwards & A. Grandidier, 1872

Name authority

A. Milne-Edwards & A. Grandidier, 1872

Common name

Large-eared Tenrec

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Afrosoricida

Family

Tenrecidae

Genus

Geogale

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderAfrosoricida Stanhope, 1998
12. suborderTenrecomorpha Butler, 1972
13. familyTenrecidae Gray, 1821
14. subfamilyGeogalinae Trouessart, 1881
15. genusGeogale A. Milne-Edwards & A. Grandidier, 1872
16. speciesGeogale aurita A. Milne-Edwards & A. Grandidier, 1872

Close classified relatives

No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.

Browse 26 records assigned to Tenrecidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=633492 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:3FPQS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.