Any child knows the appearance of a forest “bag of needles” - a hedgehog. But not every adult will be able to tell about the details of a hedgehog’s behavior and lifestyle. Because the hedgehog is a wild animal.
For example, many people think that hedgehogs are only forest animals. In fact, these small mammals live in both steppes and deserts. They are distributed only in northern Africa and on the Eurasian mainland. Their closest relatives, oddly enough, are not spiny porcupines, but ordinary moles and shrews.
All 23 species of hedgehogs living on earth are insectivores.
Features of the appearance of hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are small animals, with a body length of 10–20 cm. Weight ranges from 300 to 800 g. The tail is almost invisible, the legs are short, but they also walk quite quickly with them - they mince. The large head has small eyes and ears. Only one species, the long-eared hedgehog, has large ears.
Listen to the hedgehog's voice
Hedgehogs have good hearing, but their vision is poor. However, this is compensated by the fact that sensitive vibrissae are located on the sharp elongated muzzle closer to the nose. Thanks to them, hedgehogs have an excellent sense of smell.
Hedgehog spines are modified hair, but unlike fur, they never change. Only small hedgehogs or sick animals can lose spines. Of course, the most interesting thing about hedgehogs is their spines, which never fall out. They are modified hairs and cover not only the back, but also the sides and forehead. The most unprotected place is the belly, because the fur on it is soft. Almost all species are gray or brown, only the spines at the tips are white. It is very rare to see hedgehogs that are completely white.
The long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus) is a typical desert inhabitant The hedgehog can curl up into a ball in times of danger. In this he is helped by the circular muscles located in the places where the spines grow.
How do wild hedgehogs live?
Hedgehogs live in small burrows under the roots of bushes or trees. They live alone, do not create pairs. During the day, hedgehogs sleep more often, and at night they come out to look for food. Northern species gain a lot of fat over the summer and go into hibernation for the winter.
When walking, the animals are not careful at all: they rustle leaves and make loud puffing noises. After all, if an enemy appears, you can always put up thorns and defend yourself. A hedgehog can lie curled up in a ball for quite a long time until the danger passes.
However, these animals feed on insects, worms, snails, caterpillars, slugs, and some species eat lizards and snakes. Hedgehogs are insensitive to snake venom. They can dine in a bird's nest and catch a small rodent.
Reproduction of hedgehogs
Once a year, closer to summer, after two months of gestation, the female gives birth to up to 5 hedgehogs. The male finds her by smell, and before that he manages to fight with another male. True, this can be called a fight purely symbolically - the males push each other with their foreheads and bite each other’s paws.
Meaning of the word "Hedgehogs (family of mammals)"
Jerzy(Erinaceidae), family of mammals of the insectivorous order (Insectivora). 20 species belonging to 8 genera, combined into 2 subfamily: rat hedgehogs true E. (Erinaceinae); the latter are characterized by a short tail, the presence of spines (on the back) and the subcutaneous circular muscle, with the contraction of which the body curls into a ball. Distributed in Europe, temperate latitudes of Asia, South Asia (India) and Africa. 3 kinds; In the USSR there are 4 types of E.: long-eared, long-spined, common and Daurian. Long-eared E. (Hemiechinus auritus) has long ears and white soft hair on the ventral side of the body; body length 15-19 cm; lives in the south-east. The European part of the USSR, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Long-spined, or bald, E. (Paraechinus hypomelas) has a needle-free area on the crown, body length 22-27 cm, tail 23-37 mm; long needles (up to 4 cm); widespread in Central Asia. The common E. (Erinaceus europaeus) has small ears, the color of the ventral side of the body is brownish; body length 20-25 cm, tail - 20-35 mm; lives in the European part of the USSR (excluding S.) and the Far East; usually found in forests, gardens, bush thickets, floodplains and steppes. The nest is made under a bush, in a hole or shallow burrow. Spends the winter in hibernation. It feeds mainly on insects, as well as small vertebrates (including snakes), and eats plant matter in small quantities. Useful in killing harmful insects. Daursky E. (E. dauricus) is found in Transbaikalia.
Lit.: Ognev S.I., Animals of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, vol. 1, M. - L., 1928; Bobrinsky N.A., Kuznetsov B.A., Kuzyakin A.P., Key to mammals of the USSR, 2nd ed., M., 1965.
Hedgehogs: 1 - ordinary; 2 - eared; 3 - long-needle.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia M.: "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1969-1978
A hedgehog is an animal that belongs to the phylum Chordata, class Mammals, order Urchiniformes, family Urchinaceae (Erinaceidae).
The origin of the Russian word “hedgehog” has not yet been fully studied. According to one version, the hedgehog got its name from the Greek “echinos”, which means “snake eater”. Supporters of another version see in the word “hedgehog” the Indo-European root “eg`h”, meaning “to prick”.
Hedgehog: description and photo. What does the animal look like?
The body length of a hedgehog, depending on the species, ranges from 10 to 44 cm. The weight of a hedgehog varies from 300 grams to 1.5 kilograms. The animal also has a tail, which grows from 1 to 21 cm in length.
Hedgehog tail
The animals have a large wedge-shaped head and an elongated muzzle with a pointed, mobile and moist nose.
The hedgehog's teeth are small and sharp; there are 20 teeth on the upper jaw and 16 on the lower jaw. Some types of hedgehogs have up to 44 teeth. The first incisors are enlarged and look like fangs.
The hind legs are longer than the front legs, each limb ends in 5 fingers, with the exception of the white-bellied hedgehog, whose hind legs have 4 fingers.
Long middle fingers help the hedgehog clean its spines.
The hedgehog's spines are hollow, with thin, sparse, barely noticeable hairs growing between them. The head and belly of the animal are covered with regular fur. On average, each hedgehog carries up to 10 thousand needles, which are gradually renewed.
The color of the needles of most species is dark, with alternating light stripes. The color of a hedgehog's fur, depending on the species, can be black-brown, brown, sand or white. In some places, the black color displaces the white, forming peculiar spots.
Most species of hedgehogs are distinguished by well-developed subcutaneous muscles. When in danger, the hedgehog curls up into a ball, and in this it is helped by the subcutaneous muscles located in the places where the spines grow.
Like most nocturnal animals, hedgehogs have poor vision, but their hearing and sense of smell are well developed.
It is difficult to call these animals fast; the average speed of a fleeing hedgehog is 3-4 km/h. Despite the fact that the hedgehog is a land animal, most species are excellent swimmers and climbers.
Hedgehog lifespan
The lifespan of a hedgehog in nature is 3-5 years. At home, hedgehogs live up to 8-10 years, as they do not die from natural enemies that hunt hedgehogs in the wild. The main enemies of hedgehogs are wolves, foxes, ferrets, owls, badgers, martens, mongooses, hyenas, jackals, honey badgers, eagles, and other predators.
Where do hedgehogs live?
The habitat of hedgehogs is quite wide: this prickly animal is found in all European countries - from the southern regions of Scandinavia to the British Isles; the hedgehog lives in Russia and hot Africa, in Asia, New Zealand and the Middle East.
In nature, wild hedgehogs live in forests, deserts, steppes, cultivated landscapes and even cities. They dig burrows under tree roots or in bushes, and also settle in abandoned rodent burrows.
How do hedgehogs live in nature?
By nature, hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and solitary animals, leading a secretive lifestyle. During the day, hedgehogs sleep, hiding in self-dug holes up to 1 meter long or occupying empty rodent dwellings. Populations of foothill areas use crevices between rocks and voids under stones as shelters. At night, wild hedgehogs go hunting, preferring not to go far from home. Unfortunately, statistics show that quite a few hedgehogs are killed by cars while trying to cross motorways at night.
What do hedgehogs eat in the wild?
The hedgehog is omnivorous, but the main diet consists of adult insects, earwigs, beetles, spiders, ground beetles, caterpillars, slugs, woodlice, and earthworms. Hedgehogs also love to eat toads, locusts, bird eggs, crustaceans and invertebrates. Northern populations of forest urchins feed on lizards, frogs, mice and other small rodents.
All species of the hedgehog family are resistant to any, even the most toxic, poisons, which is why hedgehogs eat poisonous snakes and scorpions. The hedgehog will not disdain carrion, as well as food waste that can be found in summer cottages. The forest hedgehog's plant food includes mushrooms, moss, acorns, cereal seeds and any sweet berries - strawberries, raspberries, blackberries.
Over the summer, the hedgehog must fatten well, otherwise the animal may die during hibernation.
A substantial supply of fat allows hedgehogs to remain in a state of suspended animation from October to April.
Types of hedgehogs: photos, names and descriptions
The hedgehog family includes 2 subfamilies: real hedgehogs(Erinaceinae) and rat hedgehogs(hymnurs) (Galericinae), represented by 7 genera and 23 species. Below are several interesting types of hedgehogs:
- Common hedgehog(European hedgehog) ( Erinaceus europaeus)
One of the most common types of hedgehogs. The body length is 20-30 cm, the tail grows up to 3 cm, weight - about 800 g. The hedgehog's needles are no more than 3 cm long, the color is brownish-brownish with dark crossbars. The color of the muzzle, limbs and belly can be dark or yellow-white.
The common hedgehog is a typical inhabitant of woodlands, plains and parks in Western and Central Europe, Great Britain, the Scandinavian countries, the Western Siberian region, the north-west of the European part of Russia and Kazakhstan.
The common hedgehog sheds slowly in autumn or spring. Every third needle is changed. Needles grow for about a year and even a little longer.
- long eared hedgehog(Hemiechinus auritus)
It is distinguished by long ears, sometimes growing up to 5 cm in length. Representatives of the species are small, the size of the hedgehog reaches from 12 to 27 cm in length, the weight is 430 g. The needles of the long-eared hedgehog have a length of 1.7 to 1.9 cm. In case of danger, the animals rarely curl up into a ball, trying to escape.
This type of hedgehog prefers dry steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, where it lives in damp ravines and abandoned ditches. The habitat covers Africa, Asia Minor and Central Asia, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. In Russia, the long-eared hedgehog lives in areas from the Volga region to the Ural Mountains.
The animals feed on insects, lizards, toads, beetles, ants, small birds, berries, seeds, and fruits.
- Eastern European hedgehog(Erinaceus concolor)
It resembles a European hedgehog, but the color of the front of the neck and belly is much lighter than the fur on the head and sides. Adults grow up to 35 cm in length, and the weight of a hedgehog in summer can reach 1.2 kg.
The Eastern European species of hedgehogs is common in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, the Urals, Kazakhstan, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean islands. It is found in a wide variety of areas: on the edges of forests, in parks, garden plots, fields and river valleys.
Hedgehogs feed on caterpillars, ground beetles, beetles, earwigs, snails, woodlice, slugs, earthworms, moss, acorns, sunflower seeds, berries (strawberries, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries), and mushrooms.
- African pygmy hedgehog (white-bellied hedgehog) ( Atelerix albiventris)
It has a body length of 15 to 22 cm. The weight of the animal reaches 350-700 g. The color is usually brown or gray, the hedgehog's needles have white tips. Usually the African hedgehog quietly snorts or squeals, but in case of danger it can scream loudly. The hedgehog's tail reaches 2.5 cm in length. The animal's eyes are small, its ears are round, and females are larger than males.
African hedgehogs live south of the Sahara Desert, in countries such as Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Mauritania. They eat spiders, insects, scorpions, snakes, snails, and worms.
- Long-spined hedgehog (dark-spined, bald hedgehog) ( Paraechinus hypomelas)
It measures up to 22-27 cm in length with a body weight of 500-900 grams. The species got its name due to a small bald spot on the crown and long, thick needles, up to 4-4.2 cm long. The hedgehog's needles have different colors: it can be black with a white base or very light, almost white.
The bald hedgehog lives on plains and foothills, preferring rocky and sandy landscapes. The range partially extends across the Arabian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf Islands, through Iran and Pakistan to Kazakhstan. It is listed in the Red Book of Uzbekistan and is also protected by the state on the territory of Turkmenistan.
Long-spined hedgehogs eat insects, locusts, cicadas, ground beetles, weevils, click beetles, small invertebrates and reptiles, including snakes, and rodents. Does not disdain carrion.
- Ethiopian hedgehog(Paraechinus aethiopicus)
It is distinguished by light brown needles, short, dark limbs and a dark “mask” on the face. At the same time, the remaining parts of the body are white. An adult grows up to 15-25 cm in length, and the weight of a hedgehog ranges from 400 to 700 g. In general, the species is distinguished by rare gluttony.
The Ethiopian hedgehog lives in the deserts and sun-scorched steppes of North Africa: from Egypt and Tunisia to the coast of the Persian Gulf.
Ethiopian hedgehogs feed on insects, scorpions, snakes, bird eggs, frogs, termites, beetles, and locusts.
- Daurian hedgehog(Mesechinus dauuricus)
It belongs to the genus Steppe Urchins and differs from most of its relatives in the absence of a strip of bare skin separating the spines of the head into a parting. The hedgehog's spines are short, sandy or brown in color, the fur is coarse, gray or dark brown.
This species of hedgehog is a typical inhabitant of forest-steppes and steppe areas from Transbaikalia to Mongolia and northern China. Hedgehogs feed on beetles, small mammals (hamsters, pikas), chicks and eggs of birds, snakes, frogs, toads, cotoneaster and rosehip berries.
- Ordinary gymnura(Echinosorex gymnura)
Belongs to the subfamily of rat hedgehogs. Gymnura grows in length from 26 to 45 cm with a body weight from 500 g to 2 kg. The hedgehog's tail, covered with sparse hairs and scales, reaches 17-30 cm in length, and its back part is painted white. The back and sides are black, the hedgehog's head and neck are white.
Gymnura inhabits the tropical rainforests of southeast Asia from Malacca to Borneo. It feeds on invertebrates and small vertebrates, crustaceans, frogs, toads, fish, and fruits.
- Small hymnura ( Hylomys suillus)
The smallest in the family. The length of its body does not exceed 10-14 cm. The tail reaches 2.5 cm. The weight of the animal is 45-80 grams.
The animal lives in mountainous areas and hills in the countries of southeast Asia (Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China). Lesser gymnura eat insects and worms.
Reproduction of hedgehogs
At the end of hibernation, when the air warms up to 18-20 degrees, mating season begins for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs reach sexual maturity at 10-12 months. Northern populations reproduce once a year, southern populations produce offspring twice.
Female hedgehogs build nests in their burrows, lining the bottom of the hole with dry leaves and grass.
Males often fight for the female, starting fights with sniffling and snorting, biting each other on the face and legs, and pricking themselves with sharp needles. Then the winner circles for a long time around the female, who thoroughly smoothes her needles before mating. Hedgehogs are polygamous animals and immediately separate after mating.
The gestation period ranges from 34 to 58 days, resulting in the birth of 1 to 7 (usually 4) cubs weighing 12 grams.
Newborn hedgehogs are blind, covered with completely bare, bright pink skin. During the first day of life, soft, light and dark needles grow on the body of small hedgehogs. After 2 weeks, the animal’s needle-like cover is already fully formed.
For the first month, the female hedgehog feeds the cubs with milk, then the young begin to live independently.
Keeping a hedgehog at home and caring for it
Nowadays, hedgehogs are considered quite popular pets, but catching a wild animal and bringing it home is an unwise decision. A wild hedgehog can be a carrier of a number of dangerous diseases: ringworm, salmonellosis, hemorrhagic fever, rabies. In addition, you can almost always find fleas and ticks on hedgehogs. Therefore, the best way to purchase a funny animal is to contact breeders who guarantee the pet’s health, good heredity and adaptation to existence in captivity.
When do hedgehogs hibernate?
The most important thing that the future owner of a prickly pet should know: even in captivity, a domestic hedgehog needs hibernation, although not as long as in natural conditions. Otherwise, by spring the animal may die. True, this does not apply to African pygmy hedgehogs, which do not hibernate. In autumn, hedgehogs need to be fed intensively, since it is during this period that hedgehogs accumulate fat reserves.
At the end of October - beginning of November, the animal will experience a period of numbness and lethargy, this means the beginning of hibernation. Usually in nature, hedgehogs spend the winter in their nest, so the animal needs to be given a secluded place where the temperature does not exceed 5 degrees Celsius: on a loggia, attic, or in a barn. In warm weather, the hedgehog may not hibernate. You need to put dry leaves, sawdust, straw, and rags into the nest of a domestic hedgehog. And then you can identify your pet there.
How to wash a hedgehog at home?
You can bathe a hedgehog at home only if we are talking about an adult healthy animal. Small newborn hedgehogs, as well as sick, weak animals should not be washed. Take a basin and fill it with warm water no higher than 34.8 degrees Celsius. The water level should not exceed 5 cm. Instead of a basin, you can use a washbasin to bathe your pet hedgehog; the main thing is to monitor the water temperature.
Supporting the hedgehog under its head and chest, you can lower it into the water. You need to let the hedgehog get comfortable, but don't let him swim. Wash the hedgehog's belly and paws, then its back and quills. Do not pour water on its face, otherwise your pet hedgehog may get scared. To wash the hedgehog's needles, you can use a toothbrush and neutral baby shampoo, which should be rinsed thoroughly. After washing the hedgehog, you can wrap it in a towel. But under no circumstances should you dry it with a hairdryer and protect your pet from drafts.
- The ancient Romans used hedgehog skins to comb sheep.
- Gypsies eat hedgehogs, and fried hedgehog is a favorite gypsy dish.
- Serbs treat alcoholism with hedgehog urine, and use the animal’s heart as a talisman against illness.
- At the beginning of the 20th century, the McDonalds restaurant chain killed many unfortunate hedgehogs. Cups from the popular McFlurry ice cream ended up in the trash, which was something that hedgehogs with a sweet tooth did not fail to take advantage of. The animals happily licked the remnants of the ice cream, sticking their heads into the neck of the glass, but they could not pull it back out because the diameter of the container was too poor. As a result, thousands of hedgehogs died, essentially walled up in glasses. As a result of protests from animal rights activists, the diameter of the necks of the glasses was changed, and animals stopped dying.
Taxonomy
Russian name– Common or European hedgehog
Latin name - Erinaceus europaeus
English name - European hedgehog, common hedgehog
Class– Mammals (Mammalia)
Squad – Insectivora
Family – Hedgehogs (Erinaceidae)
Genus – Eurasian hedgehogs (Erinaceus)
Status of the species in nature
It is classified as a species of least concern, international status – IUCN (LC). Throughout its range, the common hedgehog is common.
Species and man
There are probably few animals about which we seem to know everything from childhood - and yet we are so often mistaken! That's what a hedgehog is like. Hedgehogs with apples and mushrooms on their needles run from one children's book to another, stocking up on food for the winter. They also love milk very much and, just like the porcupine (their relative), they can shoot quills.
The legend about apples and mushrooms on hedgehog needles is about 2000 years old - it was first mentioned in Natural History by the ancient Roman scientist and writer Pliny the Elder. How apples and mushrooms (if they do) get on the needles - we can only guess. Perhaps forest apples fall from above and get pricked on needles while the hedgehog eats a tasty worm under the apple tree. Or maybe, with the help of malic acid, hedgehogs get rid of fleas and ticks that hide under their prickly shell. From a gastronomic point of view, only worm-eaten mushrooms can interest a hedgehog. There is no need for the hedgehog to store food for future use - it sleeps in winter.
A hungry hedgehog will drink milk, but then he will feel bad, since this product causes intestinal upset. And the hedgehog does not shoot quills, like the porcupine, which, moreover, is a rodent, unlike the insectivorous hedgehog.
Hedgehogs sometimes settle near humans, but these animals should not be kept as pets - they are active at night and behave very noisily at this time. But hedgehogs will help get rid of slugs and some unwanted guests, such as mice and even snakes, in a garden or summer cottage.
Distribution and habitats
The distribution of the species is very wide: Europe, Asia Minor, Western Siberia, northwestern Kazakhstan, Amur region, Primorsky Krai, northern and northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula.
The common hedgehog is an inhabitant of a wide variety of landscapes. Avoids only very wetlands and continuous tracts of tall forests. Prefers forest edges, clearings, and bushes. Found in forest-steppe and steppe.
Appearance
A prickly animal well known from childhood. Its body length is 20-30 cm, tail length is 3 cm, average weight is 700-800 g.
A distinctive feature of the hedgehog is the spines that grow on its back and sides. The length of these needles reaches 3 cm, and the animal can have up to 6 thousand of them in total. Each needle is hollow inside and divided into compartments by horizontal discs, which gives it special strength. A muscle fiber is attached to each needle under the skin, which raises and lowers it. The raised needles intersect at different angles, creating a reliable, prickly cover. Between the needles there are thin, long, very sparse hairs. On the ventral side of the body, the spines are absent and are replaced by long and coarse hair. Under the skin of the hedgehog's back there is a special muscle that, when contracted, allows it to curl into a spiny ball.
The hedgehog's head is relatively large, wedge-shaped, with an elongated muzzle. The color of the back is most often dark brown. The abdomen is brownish or grayish. The spines serve hedgehogs not only for protection, but also to soften blows in cases of falling from a height.
Lifestyle and social behavior
Hedgehogs lead a solitary lifestyle, but live close to each other. Thus, during one of the studies, 33 individuals were found on an area of 40 hectares, which indicates the overlap of individual areas of these animals. The area of an individual plot can be up to 20 hectares. Sexually mature adults usually do not come close to each other.
Nocturnal activity. In a calm state, the hedgehog walks slowly, waddling, but can run quite quickly. Studies have shown that a hedgehog can walk at least a kilometer during the night.
By autumn, hedgehogs gain fat and hibernate in October, which lasts until April. The animals come out of hibernation thinner, having lost up to 30% of their weight, and hunger forces them to look for prey even during daylight hours.
Nutrition and feeding behavior
The name of the order to which hedgehogs belong - insectivores - speaks for itself. The main food of these animals is a variety of terrestrial invertebrates. They also eat frogs, snakes, lizards, chicks, mice, and occasionally berries.
The hunting area is located next to the hole, within a radius of 200-300 meters. Hedgehogs can use the same area for several years, but they can also move far from their “native” hole. A sensitive nose and excellent hearing help the animals find food on dark nights.
Hedgehogs are very voracious and can eat as much food as they weigh in a day.
Vocalization
Characteristic are snorting sounds made in case of danger.
Reproduction and development
Hedgehogs breed once a year, and in the spring the males begin their fights for the female. Pregnancy lasts 5-6 weeks, cubs (from 3 to 8) are born in early summer in a nest lined with dry grass and located under a pile of dead wood or at the roots of a tree. Newborns weighing about 12 grams are naked, with bright pink skin, soft spines are clearly visible only on the head. After a few days, needles, soft at first, appear all over the body. By the 18th day of life, hedgehogs are completely covered with hardened spines, and at the same time their eyes open. Babies begin to curl up into a ball earlier - at two weeks of age.
After leaving the nest, young animals follow their mother everywhere for 2-4 weeks, then move on to independent life. By the time they hibernate, they must have accumulated a significant reserve of fat and weigh at least 500 g, otherwise they may not survive the winter.
Lifespan
Life expectancy is on average 4-6 years; in captivity, with proper maintenance, they live longer.
The story of life at the zoo
Hedgehogs have been kept at the Moscow Zoo for about ten years. All animals come to us from lovers who bring animals from the forest and do not know how to keep them. They offer them a fruit and vegetable diet (apples, mushrooms), as a result the animals begin to quickly wither and die.
At the zoo, the daily diet includes meat, newborn mice, bread soaked in milk, grated carrots, chicken eggs, cottage cheese, and live insects. In the zoo, hedgehogs do not hibernate in winter, but become lethargic and inactive.
The common hedgehog can be seen in winter in the Night World pavilion on the Old Territory, and in summer in one of the enclosures located above the pavilion.
Appearance
The hedgehog is a well-known animal in appearance, whose back and sides are covered with short dark spines. Needles up to 3 cm long; in adult hedgehogs there are 5000-6000 of them, in young ones - only 3000. The needles are white at the base and at the end, in the middle they are colored with stripes of black, white and brown. The fur on the hedgehog's face, legs and abdomen is hard; in Russia its gray color is most often found. The chest and throat are plain, without white spots, unlike the similar white-bellied hedgehogs.
The hedgehog's body length is 135-265 mm, tail - no more than 3 cm; it weighs on average 700-800 g, but before hibernation it can eat up to 1200 g. Males are larger than females. The muzzle is elongated, mobile; the nose is sharp and constantly wet. The eyes are black and round. The ears are short (less than 3.5 cm), rounded, almost hidden in the fur. The limbs are five-fingered, with rather sharp claws; The hind limbs are slightly longer than the forelimbs. There are 20 small sharp teeth on the upper jaw, and 16 on the lower jaw.
Needles
The hedgehog's needles are hollow, filled with air and divided into compartments by transverse disks. Each ends in a small extension that is located under the skin; therefore, the needles fall out along with flaps of skin. They are smooth, without grooves or notches; like normal hair, it grows from a follicle. A muscle fiber is attached to each needle, which raises and lowers it; raised needles intersect at different angles, creating a reliable, prickly cover. Under the skin of the hedgehog's back there is a special muscle panniculus carnosis, which, when contracted, allows it to curl into a spiky ball. Each needle grows for 12-18 months; Hedgehogs shed slowly - on average, one out of three needles changes per year (mainly in spring and autumn).
Spreading
The distribution area of the common hedgehog covers Europe (including Ireland and Britain), the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and Asia Minor. North of 61°N. it's rare. In Russia it is found in the middle zone of the European part, in the Middle Urals and in the south of Western Siberia. At the end of the 19th century. was acclimatized in New Zealand, where it is now numerous. Judging by fossil remains, it was previously found in North America.
Lifestyle and nutrition
The hedgehog is a native of forest-meadow and steppe zones. It enters taiga and semi-desert zones only along the valleys of large rivers and their large tributaries. Avoids dense forests and vast swamps; It is especially common on forest edges, copses, forest belts, small clearings, and in river floodplains. In places where it lives together with the white-bellied hedgehog, it cedes these habitats to the latter, going deep into forests. It is found in the mountains (up to 2000 m above sea level), common in cultivated areas: gardens, parks, personal plots.
The hedgehog leads a solitary lifestyle. Males aggressively defend individual feeding areas from each other. The areas of males range from 7 to 40 hectares, and those of females range from 6.9 to 10 hectares. The home ranges of males may overlap with those of females, but the home ranges of pregnant and lactating females never overlap. Within its territory, the hedgehog makes several (up to 10) nests, hidden in thorny bushes, under logs, in piles of brushwood, etc. places. It lines the nest (15-20 cm in diameter) with dry herbs, leaves, moss, and wood dust. In summer it does not dig holes; sometimes it occupies empty rodent holes. Active mainly during twilight and night time. In the spring, when hedgehogs come out of hibernation, they are also active during the daytime. The hedgehog sleeps, curled up into a loose ball.
With the onset of frost (below +10 °C), having accumulated fat reserves, the hedgehog closes the entrance to the hole and goes into hibernation, the duration of which depends on climatic conditions. In Central Russia, hibernation begins in late September - early October, although some individuals fall into torpor as early as August. Adult males are the first to go into hibernation, then young animals of early litters and females that have finished breeding early; the last ones are young late litters and females who had late litters. In regions with unstable snow cover, periods of hibernation alternate with periods of activity. During hibernation, the hedgehog's heart rate decreases to 20-60 beats, and breathing - to one breath per minute. If a hedgehog falls asleep without a sufficient supply of fat (at least 500 g), it runs the risk of dying from hunger during hibernation. In some years, the mortality rate of hedgehogs during hibernation reaches 86% of young animals and 30-40% of adults. Hibernation ends in April, when the air temperature rises to +18 °C.
A hedgehog curled up into a ball.
The hedgehog feeds mainly on insects (beetles, earwigs) and their larvae, snails, slugs, snails, and earthworms. A special delicacy for him are the larvae of centipede mosquitoes and centipedes. Glomeris marginata And Tachypodoiulus niger, and forest ground beetle Carabus nemoralis. In nature, it rarely attacks vertebrates; Most often, its victims are amphibians and reptiles (including snakes) that have fallen into torpor, and the hedgehog bites their spine. Among plant foods, he prefers acorns, mushrooms, berries and fruits. The hedgehog is very voracious, especially after hibernation; during the night it can eat food that is equal to 1/3 of its weight. Hedgehogs kept in captivity as pets readily eat meat, eggs and bread. Contrary to popular belief, milk is not good for hedgehogs and they should not be fed dairy products as they are lactose intolerant. Dog or cat food is also not suitable for them, as it contains too much fat and is too poor in protein. However, he really loves ice cream. In addition, he enjoys eating oatmeal porridge.
Hedgehogs have a keen sense of smell and hearing, but their eyesight is weak. They run at speeds of up to 3 m/s, swim and climb well. Wandering through the forest in search of food, the hedgehog rustles with last year's dry leaves, and by this noise it is easy to spot him. Hedgehogs make a variety of snorting and sneezing sounds, grumbling and chattering their teeth. The cubs, while in the nest, emit a whistle and quack, similar to a bird.
Reproduction
Soon after emerging from hibernation, hedgehogs begin their mating season, which continues throughout the warm season. Fights occur between males over females: they bite each other, use needles, push each other, snorting and snorting loudly. When courting a female, the male walks around her in circles (10-12 times).
After mating, the male and female separate. The female digs a brood hole or occupies an abandoned rodent hole. Pregnancy lasts 31-49 days; offspring appear in May-October. There is usually one litter per year, but if the first mating occurs early enough, there may be a second. There are from 1 to 9 (usually 5) cubs in a litter. Hedgehogs are born blind, naked, with bright pink skin, but after a few hours they develop soft white spines, numbering up to 150. After 36 hours, dark-colored spines appear. By the 18th day of life, hedgehogs are already completely covered with spines. On day 11 they can curl up into a ball, and on days 14-16 their eyes open. The mother cares for the offspring for only 4-6 weeks. Puberty in hedgehogs occurs at 10-12 months. Hedgehogs live 3-5 years in the wild, 2-3 years in captivity
Benefits and harms for people
The common hedgehog is useful in destroying harmful insects: among the insects it eats are May beetles, hairy ground beetles, nun caterpillars and gypsy moths. At the same time, the hedgehog destroys the chicks and eggs of small birds nesting on the ground. Thus, in the Outer Hebrides, introduced hedgehogs have turned into real pests, destroying the clutches of birds such as snipe, dunlin, snail and lapwing. Hedgehogs also rob the clutches of ordinary chickens and kidnap chicks.
A hedgehog can be a carrier of diseases such as ringworm, yellow fever, salmonellosis, and leptospirosis. There are large numbers of ticks and fleas on them. For example, a study of ixodid ticks (carriers of tick-borne encephalitis, tularemia, cattle babesiosis, equine piroplasmosis) revealed that hedgehogs are among the hosts on which ticks feed in all phases of development. In forested areas, hedgehogs collect ticks, including encephalitis, on themselves more than any other animals, since their spiny cover, like a brush, scrapes hungry ticks from the grass. The hedgehog is unable to get rid of ticks that have gotten between the needles. During the spring season, each hedgehog feeds tens of thousands of ixodid ticks; Even a special unit for counting ticks in natural foci has been included in the literature - “every hour”, meaning the number of ticks collected by a hedgehog in an hour of running through a focal area of the forest.
The hedgehog is the most common and in some places numerous species. It easily adapts to life around people and is often kept as a pet. It is known that the Romans back in the 4th century. BC e. Hedgehogs were raised for meat - it was baked together with needles in clay. Some folk remedies (particularly for baldness) included the ashes, bile, entrails or blood of a hedgehog.
Privada
You need to choose an area no more than one square meter, preferably on the east or south side of the house, stick 4-6 flexible rods into the ground with both ends, like a yurt, so that inside this yurt there is a space the size of a soccer ball. Make a stack of dry grass up to half a meter high on top and cover it with something from the rain. You will get a hedgehog house. Place some leftover fish or chicken bones into it.
Folklore about hedgehogs
- Hedgehogs are mentioned in jokes:
“The secret of hedgehogs’ longevity has been revealed! It turned out that there is no secret. And hedgehogs don’t live long..."
- Vladimir Dahl mentions the hedgehog in the following context:
“Keep a tight rein on anyone, strictly.”
“The hedgehog is a master at teaching.”
“He’s overgrown with hedgehog bristles.”
“Headache: cut off until bare, sprinkled with hedgehog fluff, and hit with a butt, a joke on the doctors.”
Application in Russia under Dal: “A hedgehog skin with needles, tied onto the calf’s face so that the cow does not allow it to suck.”
- In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books, "The Hedgehog Song" is mentioned several times. The song talks about the complexity of the hedgehogs' reproduction process and is somewhat obscene. The text of “The Hedgehog Song” did not appear in the books, but there are many fan variations in both English and Russian.
- See also Hedgehog in the Fog.
- Fried hedgehog is a national gypsy dish.
Links
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See what “Common hedgehog” is in other dictionaries:
Ordinary, ever-present, every day, daily, routine, routine, ordinary, hackneyed, everyday, common, ordinary, constant, habitual, accepted, generally accepted, simple, ordinary, torn, common, commonly used, routine, ... ... Synonym dictionary
Common hedgehog- Erinaceus europaeus see also 1.1.1. Genus Forest hedgehogs Erinaceus Common hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus (Table 1) The head, sides and belly are gray, the spines have dark transverse stripes. Lives in central European Russia, the Middle Urals and ... Animals of Russia. Directory
ORDINARY, ordinary, ordinary; ordinary, ordinary, ordinary. 1. only full. Habitual, constant, ordinary. “Reading did not have its usual effect on him.” Pushkin. “Everyone came to the office door... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
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