African hedgehog
| African hedgehog | ||||||||||||
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White-bellied hedgehog ( Atelerix albiventris ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Atelerix | ||||||||||||
| Pomel , 1848 |
The African hedgehog ( Atelerix ) are a genus of animals living in Africa and southern Europe from the hedgehog family (Erinaceidae).
The species
The genus includes four species:
- The white-bellied or African dwarf hedgehog ( A. albiventris ) is native to all of Central Africa (from Senegal and Sudan to Zambia ).
- The Kapigel ( A. frontalis ) lives in southern Africa (from Angola and Zimbabwe to South Africa ).
- The Algerian or North African hedgehog ( A. algirus ) occurs in northern Africa ( Morocco to Libya ) and on the Mediterranean coast of Spain . The species was introduced in southern France and the Canary Islands .
- The Somali hedgehog ( A. sclateri ) lives in northern Somalia .
description
The head and back of these animals are covered with short spines, these are colored white at the roots and tips and black or brown in the middle. From the genus of the short-eared hedgehog ( Erinaceus ), to which the brown-breasted hedgehog also belongs, the African hedgehogs differ in their mostly smaller size, the often lighter agouti coat color and anatomical details in the structure of the skull, the teeth and the number of toes the hind limbs. The animals reach a head body length of 17 to 23 centimeters (with a 2 to 5 centimeter long tail) and a weight of 250 to 700 grams.
Way of life
African hedgehogs inhabit a number of habitats such as bushland, steppes, and savannahs, and sometimes gardens in people's cities. However, they avoid the desert and too dense forest areas. They are nocturnal animals that spend the day hidden in piles of leaves, crevices in the rocks or small caves. At night they go in search of food, relying less on the poorly developed sense of sight than on the excellent sense of smell and hearing. In colder areas (e.g. South Africa) they hibernate during the winter , but for a shorter time than the native hedgehog. Except during hibernation or rearing the young, they change their resting place every day. These animals are loners, they have no fixed territories, but still largely avoid contact with one another.
Like the European hedgehog, they can curl up in a ball when threatened, which tries to repel predators with erect spines.
nutrition
African hedgehogs are omnivores with a penchant for insects. They also eat snails, earthworms, small vertebrates, eggs, fruits and mushrooms.
Reproduction
The females can give birth to offspring several times a year. After around 35 days of gestation, an average of four to five young animals are born. These weigh around ten grams and are naked and blind. After six weeks at the latest, the young animals are weaned and chased away by their mother. They reach sexual maturity after around nine weeks. The life expectancy of these animals is around three years in the wild and up to seven years in human care.
African hedgehogs and people
White-bellied hedgehogs are kept as pets in some places , mostly in the USA, but now also in Europe. After many animals were originally imported, most of them are now bred and are already available in different colors. Animal welfare organizations are critical of keeping hedgehogs as pets.
Because of the special shape of their hind feet, the white-bellied dwarf hedgehog is also called " four-toed hedgehog " in English .
Hazardous situation
In the wild, African hedgehogs are not endangered species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN lists all species of the genus in the Red List of Threatened Species as Least Concern .
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Online editorial office Pro Igel Association for Integrated Nature Conservation Germany eV: Pro Igel Association for Integrated Nature Conservation Germany eV: Exotic hedgehogs as pets. In: www.pro-igel.de. Retrieved December 1, 2016 .
- ^ Atelerix in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010. Accessed March 16, 2010.