Otter shrews are
carnivorous and
semiaquatic, preying on any aquatic animal they can find with their sensitive whiskers. All tenrecs are believed to descend from a common ancestor that lived 29–37 million years (Ma) ago[3][4][5] after
rafting from Africa to Madagascar in a single event.[7][8] Tenrecs are widely diverse; as a result of
convergent evolution they resemble
hedgehogs,
shrews,
opossums or
mice. All tenrecs appear to be at least somewhat
omnivorous, with
invertebrates forming the largest part of their diets.
^
abDouady, C. J.; Catzeflis, F.; Kao, D. J.; Springer, M. S.; Stanhope, M. J. (2002). "Molecular Evidence for the Monophyly of Tenrecidae (Mammalia) and the Timing of the Colonization of Madagascar by Malagasy Tenrecs". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 22 (3): 357–363.
doi:
10.1006/mpev.2001.1055.
PMID11884160.