What do we know about hedgehogs? Spiny hedgehogs - interesting facts. Stomp at night

You will not believe! It turns out that even before the advent of Groundhog Day, there was such a national holiday as Hedgehog Day. It was celebrated annually in Ancient Rome, and a meteorological forecast was made based on whether the awakened hedgehog saw its shadow. In Western Europe, the tradition continued into later times. Then it was transferred to the New World, but since hedgehogs were not found in North America, their role was assigned to marmots.

So we found a reason to present interesting facts about these amazing prickly, but so cute animals.

What you didn't know about hedgehogs

There are about 15 species of wild hedgehogs in the world. The animals are native to both Europe, Asia and Africa.

Of course, everyone knows that the hedgehog, like the porcupine, has quills. But, unlike his “relative,” the hero of our article does not know how to shoot them for his own defense. However, if any inexperienced predator decides to feast on the animal, tempted by its difference in size, he will be bitterly disappointed: the hedgehog has approximately 6,000 sharp spines on its body! And their “taste” is unlikely to satisfy such a “gourmet”.

When a hedgehog is in danger, it curls up into a tight ball that simply cannot be unwrapped by force. When the animal calms down, its muscles weaken and it returns to its normal appearance.

Hedgehogs camouflage themselves with their own saliva. When they encounter a new smell, they begin to bite and lick the object until its taste is firmly reflected on their tongue. They then sneeze and lick their needles, thus masking themselves with a new scent.

They are insectivores. But beetles are not a mono diet for them. In the wild, snails, amphibians, lizards, snakes, bird eggs, fish, carrion, mushrooms, grass, roots, berries and melons are also eaten for lunch. House hedgehogs eat crickets, mealworms, earthworms, waxworms, and kibble.

Hedgehogs tend to be more active at night. If such a pet lives in your home, then get ready for its nocturnal adventures, which may disturb your sleep.

They love to eat very much. If they are not restricted in their diet (especially when fed pelleted food), they can gain an unacceptable amount of weight, which can lead to obesity. Animals that are too well-fed will not be able to curl up into a ball when danger approaches. However, this is also harmful to your overall health.

And the most amazing thing

Hedgehogs are sensitive to the voice and appearance of their owner (like cats and dogs). The bond between a person and their pet is very strong. When a hedgehog is nervous and covered in its “armor”, it can only turn around if it sees or smells its owner!

The world of “living” and running thorns. Puffing and snorting, fearless and courageous, and also constantly hungry.

We present to you interesting facts about hedgehogs.

1 Did you know that more ticks live on the body of a hedgehog than on any other animal? This is all due to the fact that the latter cling to the needles, and the hedgehog is not able to throw them off.

2 Some types of hedgehogs have poisonous spines. However, the “explosive mixture” appears not thanks to their body, but toads.

3 Did you know that hedgehogs have a very low body temperature when they sleep? Only 2 degrees, compared to 34C when they are awake.

4 We all like the pose that the hedgehog so often takes - “curling up into a ball.” However, few people know why this happens. It turns out that under the prickly needles there are longitudinal muscles of the animal and, when they begin to contract, the hedgehog under this action takes the form of a ball.

5 Did you know that when sleeping, hedgehogs spend a lot of energy acquired while awake? That is why, when they wake up, they experience a wild feeling of hunger that does not give them peace.

They quickly retreat and go in search of something edible for themselves.

6 Did you know that newborn hedgehogs do not have quills? Their body is covered with soft pink skin, and the spine appears much later. Their eyes are also closed at birth; they open only by the 16th week of life. By the way, hedgehogs do not have good eyesight, but they see the world not in “black and white,” but in color.

7 Hedgehogs love to feast on milk from the cow. That is why they adopt a wait-and-see approach: they come to the farm at milking time, hide and wait for drops of this drink to fall on the floor.

8 These little “balls of needles” are very resistant to all kinds of poisons. So, for example, they are not afraid of viper venom, arsenic, or cyenelic acid. Moreover, not finding anything edible for itself, the hedgehog may even feast on a viper.

9 One of the types of hedgehogs is the long-eared hedgehog. Its distinctive feature comes from the name itself - such representatives have quite large ears, 3-5 cm. In addition, they are faster and more aggressive than ordinary hedgehogs.

10 These wonderful animals, unfortunately, cannot be tamed and domesticated. They carry bacteria and mites that are deadly to humans.

But nothing can stop you from admiring them in nature and observing their life activity.

You can find other interesting facts about hedgehogs on the Internet web pages.

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Interesting facts about mammals

If you brush up on your school biology course, mammals are vertebrates that typically feed their young with milk. At the highest level of this class is man. This one of the largest biological groups includes approximately 5,500 species of fauna, widely distributed throughout the entire planet. Their appearance, size, and lifestyle are strikingly different from each other, which allows us to draw a conclusion about the richest diversity of mammals. Also striking and a source of surprise is the abundance of interesting information about these animals.

The amazing world of mammals

We highlight everything unusual, inexplicable, mysterious from the life of mammals and tell it in a variety of aspects. Here we will look at the lifestyle of mammals, their habits, diet and much more, such as. methods of animal communication and movement.

Mammals are distinctly different from other land animals such as birds, insects, slugs and frogs, although they have many similarities. All mammals, like humans, are warm-blooded animals, they breathe air and in most cases are covered with fur or hair. Mammals give birth to live young (with the exception of two species of mammals that lay eggs), and their females nurse their offspring with milk. Many mammals are very smart and resourceful animals, capable of using various available means, switching to new types of food and adapting to new conditions. You will also learn here about the various features of the life of mammals, interconnected with each other. Particular attention is paid to the secrets and mysteries that often surround the life of mammals in the wild.

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 highways 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 diseases.
• 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.

Interesting fact #1: Hedgehogs appeared on Earth about 15 million years ago.

Interesting fact #2: The average hedgehog has approximately 10 thousand spines. They are updated every three years. Hedgehog needles take a long time to grow, about a year. Fortunately for the hedgehog, their renewal occurs gradually.

Interesting fact #5: In epidemiology, there is the concept of “hourly”. It indicates the number of ticks collected by a hedgehog during an hour of running through the forest. Recording “hourly” helps scientists identify natural foci of tick-borne encephalitis.

Interesting fact #6: Winter hibernation of hedgehogs lasts 128 days. While the hedgehog is sleeping, its body temperature drops to 2 degrees Celsius (under normal conditions it is 34 degrees). The breathing of sleeping hedgehogs is seriously slowed down: a maximum of 8 inhalations and exhalations per minute, although they usually breathe at a frequency of 40-50 times. An awakened hedgehog is the walking embodiment of hunger, so the animal spends several days after waking up exclusively searching for food.

Interesting fact #7: Most species of hedgehogs have a tail. True, it is very short - only 3 cm, so it is not visible from under the needles.

Interesting fact #8: Despite the fact that hedgehogs can distinguish colors, they are naturally blind. But they have very acute hearing and a keen sense of smell.

Interesting fact #9: Eared hedgehogs differ from their counterparts in that they are extremely reluctant to curl up into a ball in case of danger. This type of hedgehog runs very fast, and it is not easy for land predators to catch up with it. If the long-eared hedgehog is overtaken by an enemy, the animal jumps up and tries to prick its opponent in sensitive places.

Interesting fact #10: Hedgehogs are immune to viper venom, although they do not specifically hunt these snakes. However, if the opportunity arises, the hedgehog will eat the viper with great appetite.

Interesting fact #11: Also, even the strongest poisons have almost no effect on hedgehogs: sublimate, arsenic, potassium cyanide, hydrocyanic acid, etc.

Interesting fact #12: Hedgehogs don't hunt mice - that's a myth. They might be happy to feast on mouse meat, but they are not able to catch up with the mouse.

Interesting fact #13: In children's books you can often see a hedgehog carrying an apple on his back. In fact, hedgehogs do not prick apples, mushrooms, or other large objects on their dorsal needles - they are physically unable to curl up in such a way as to do this. The “father” of the myth that animals carry supplies on their backs is the ancient Roman historian Pliny the Elder. Where he got this from is unknown.

Interesting fact #14: Hedgehogs are remarkably tamed and get along well with other pets - dogs and cats. But few people can keep hedgehogs at home because of their loud stomp.

Interesting fact #15: The culprit in the death of many hedgehogs was the McDonalds fast food restaurant chain. The fact is that the animals willingly licked the remnants of McFlurry ice cream from the cups. The neck of these glasses was wide enough for hedgehogs to stick their heads in, but too narrow for them to stick their heads back out. As a result, thousands of poor little animals were unable to free themselves from the cups and died of hunger. After much protest from wildlife activists, the neck diameter of McFlurry cups was reduced in 2006 and the hedgehogs were safe.

Interesting fact #16: In Serbian folk medicine, hedgehog urine is used as a remedy for alcoholism.

Interesting fact #17: Fried hedgehog is a traditional gypsy dish. By the way, hedgehog goulash is mentioned in one of the episodes of Guy Ricci’s film “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”, when the main characters visit a gypsy camp.

Interesting fact #18: In ancient Rome, hedgehog skins were used as combs for combing sheep's wool. It is interesting that the courts of Ancient Rome were literally inundated with cases of counterfeiting hedgehog skins - it was such a popular product.