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Tenrec diversity at a glance: poster project highlights Madagascar's endemics
Posters published in 2024, this article published online October 25, 2025.
Malagasy version of tenrec poster. Copyright D. Kupitz & F. Spangenberg
Science communication can take many forms, with posters serving as an accessible means of rapidly conveying information. Tenrecs require effective outreach efforts, as they are little known both in their native Madagascar and globally (Stephenson et al., 2021). To address this, illustrator Frithjof Spangenberg (www.illu-atelier.de) and biologist David Kupitz (www.tenrec.org) collaborated to create a visually appealing poster featuring all 31 currently recognised species of the family Tenrecidae in Madagascar.
Valuable scientific assistance and feedback were provided by Félix Rakotondraparany from the Université d'Antananarivo, Voahangy Soarimalala from Association Vahatra and the Université de Fianarantsoa, Domoina Rakotomalala from WWF Madagascar, and PJ Stephenson of the IUCN Afrotheria Specialist Group.
The posters showcase every tenrec species with illustrations, scientific and common names in multiple languages, as well as body length and mass. Additionally, a map displays simplified distribution ranges.
Two versions were produced: a Malagasy version with additional information on the species' IUCN Red List status and on habitat type (and with species names also in French, English, Spanish, and German), and a German version (with species names also in English, French, Spanish, and Russian). An electronic version for online use (e.g. on social media) is currently being developed.
To enhance public knowledge of tenrecs in Madagascar, a total of 450 Malagasy posters were printed by David Kupitz on environmentally-friendly recycled paper and distributed in July and August 2024 to various institutions, including WWF Madagascar, Association Vahatra, the Department of Zoology at the Université d'Antananarivo, Madagascar National Parks, Parc Botanique et Zoologique Tsimbazaza, and a nature guide association. The posters can - for instance - be used for educational purposes in schools, universities, protected areas, and other projects. For additional Malagasy posters, please contact David Kupitz at dk(at)tenrec.org.
Handing over of tenrec posters to Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, WWF Madagascar Country Director, in 2024 in Antananarivo. Copyright D. Kupitz
Handing over of tenrec posters to Félix Rakotondraparany, Université d'Antananarivo, in 2024. Copyright D. Kupitz
The German poster version is available for purchase through the publisher at www.buchkurier.de. A donation to WWF is made for every copy sold. (The website www.tenrec.org or its creator do not benefit from sales of the poster.)
German version of tenrec poster. Copyright D. Kupitz & F. Spangenberg
References:
Stephenson PJ, Soarimalala V, Goodman SM, Nicoll ME, Andrianjakarivelo V, Everson KM, Hoffmann M, Jenkins PD, Olson LE, Raheriarisena M, Rakotondraparany F, Rakotondravony D, Randrianjafy V, Ratsifandrihamanana N, Taylor A (2021): Review of the status and conservation of tenrecs (Mammalia: Afrotheria: Tenrecidae). Oryx 55 (1): 13–22. doi:10.1017/S0030605318001205.
