Definition of The Hedgehog Animal

The Hedgehog

Hedgehog belongs to the mammalian variety, the shape of the shellfish, and the hedgehogs, and includes sixteen different species of hedgehogs, small, activity-free animals whose thorns cover the body. The size of the hedgehogs varies by type, ranging in length from 10-30 cm and weighing 155-1.584 grams.

Hedgehogs live in various ecological zones. Some of them are desert hedgehogs living in low rainfall places, including several species in Asia. The European hedgehog spreads from the Mediterranean to the Scandinavian countries. In Africa, hedgehogs are found in Savannah, forest and even cities. Some hedgehogs dig deep holes in the earth, some of them build a patch of twigs, grasses and tree leaves, or hide among the rocks, and some live in burrows abandoned by some animals such as turtles and foxes.

Characteristics of hedgehogs

The hedgehog's back covers from 3000-5000 a sharp fork made of horny material, the substance of human hair and nails. The hedgehog is white, or brown to black. The belly, face and neck are covered with rough hair, and some hedgehogs surround a dark area. The hedgehog has 44 teeth, has a strong leg despite its shortness and has large feet. Each foot has five fingers except the hedgehog, called the four-finger hedgehog, with curved claws that help it dig. The hedgehog's face is conical and has a wet nose and nose and large ears. , And the senses of smell and hearing has strong, but the sense of sight is weak.

The Hedgehog, which lives in cold areas with its environment, sleeps during cold periods. This behaviour is called hibernation or hibernation. The hedgehogs that live in the deserts will die. The period of heat intensification and drought in sleep, which is called summer aestivation.

When the Hedgehog is in danger, the thorns around the back of the neck are formed, and the back and abdomen muscles are used to turn into a ball of thorns covering the weak areas of the body. It is difficult for the predatory animals to open them, and the hedgehog is more difficult to fertilize. An aversion to predatory animals, and parasites that live on his skin. 

Feed the hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are originally insect eaters, but their diet includes a wide range of foods that vary depending on the environment in which they live. They cover the fruits, roots, leaves and seeds of plants, as well as molluscs and snails.

The Hedgehog, which lives in the deserts of Africa, feeds on snakes, even venomous ones, small rodents and dead animals. It also feeds on scorpions, some of the stinging thorns of the scorpion before eating. The European hedgehog feeds on earthworms, beetles, larvae, bird eggs and chicks. South Africa can eat all of the above as well as fungi, frogs, lizards, termites, grasshoppers and moths.

Breeding hedgehogs

The hedgehog female gives birth to 4-7 of young children after a gestation period of 4-6 weeks. The weight of a hedgehog (Hoglet or Piglet) at birth is between 3-25 grams only, and its body is covered With about 150 soft and soft white thorns, and to protect the mother during childbirth, the thorns are covered with a swollen, fluid-filled skin that disappears after the birth, and when the small hedgehog has completed its first month, it can open its eyes.

One of the tasks of the mother in this period is to teach young people ways to get food, protect them from predators and from the father also if he tries to eat them, but the mother may devour her children if she feels disturbed. Young people reach puberty between 9-11 months and live between 3-8 years in the wild and 10 years in zoos.

The dangers of hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are exposed to many risks, including what is caused by natural causes such as exposure to predation, and what is the result of human activity. The hedgehog spines are a very effective protective medium and have contributed to limiting the number of organisms that can prey on hedgehogs. However, hedgehogs may still be prey to some species of eagles and falcons due to their scarred stems and sharp claws.

The black owl and the animal of the horse mouse (the molar weasel) are the animals that attack the hedgehog and may be successful if they can take advantage of the periods when the hedgehog is stretched on its back to get rid of the excess heat. It is unable to regulate the temperature of its body efficiently; Of the secretion of sweat only from specific areas, areas that are not covered by thorns, and when this happens, the abdomen is exposed, making it more vulnerable to predators, and winter may bring death to small hedgehogs that did not store enough fat to keep them alive during hibernation Winter.

The abnormal causes of the death of hedgehogs are related to human activity and the increase in population density that deprived hedgehogs of their food sources and natural habitats due to the construction of roads, the transformation of natural land into agricultural lands where mechanisms to threaten hedgehogs, and the poisoning of urchins, Insecticides, and chemicals that spray on agricultural crops to get rid of insects, which reach the hedgehogs through the food chain, not to mention air pollution and water pollution.