Indian hedgehog
| Indian hedgehog | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Paraechinus micropus | ||||||||||||
| ( Blyth , 1846) |
The Indian hedgehog ( Paraechinus micropus ) is a species of desert hedgehog within the hedgehogs (Erinaceidae) that live in southeastern Pakistan ( Sindh , southeastern Punjab and the extreme northeast of Balochistan ) and northwestern India ( Gujarat , western Rajasthan and the extreme northwest of Maharashtra ) occurs.
features
The Indian hedgehog reaches a head-trunk length of 13 to 23 centimeters, has a sparsely hairy tail 1.0 to 4.0 centimeters in length and a weight of 300 to 600 grams. The hind feet are 24 to 26 millimeters long and the ears protruding beyond the spines are 26 to 32 millimeters long. So the species is relatively small. It has a round body, short legs with small feet and short claws, and a pointed muzzle. The color of the Indian hedgehog is very variable and there are both blacklings and albinos. The front head and legs are dark. The forehead and cheeks are gray-white. The shade and extent of the dark head area are individually different. The spines are 19 to 23 millimeters long, have a rough surface and a longitudinal groove. They can be light (white or yellow) and dark (dark brown or black) banded, but usually one of the colors dominates. There are also specimens with red and gold tinted spines. The tips are cream-colored to whitish. The belly of the animals is whitish or dark brown or both colors form a pattern of spots. The karyotype consists of a chromosome set of 2n = 48 chromosomes.
Habitat and way of life
The Indian hedgehog lives in deserts and other dry landscapes with sandy soil, in semi-arid scrubland in dry forests and on agricultural areas, but also in some regions that are influenced by the monsoons . He is nocturnal and largely true to location. The animals spend the day in caves in the ground or hidden in bushes or human waste. He also uses caves dug by other animals, including the Indian long-eared hedgehog ( Hemiechinus collaris ), and sometimes both species use the same cave at the same time. However, apart from mothers with their young, only one Indian hedgehog uses the same hole at a time.
The Indian hedgehog feeds mainly on insects, with dung beetles being particularly common. The Indian hedgehog also eats roller spiders , scorpions, frogs and toads, small snakes and lizards, the eggs of ground-nesting birds, small rodents and the fruits of the Chinese jujube ( Ziziphus jujuba ). Prey animals are pressed to the ground with their front paws while the hedgehog eats them starting at the rear end. Indian hedgehogs kept in human care could do without water for four to six weeks.
The Indian hedgehog reproduces in the monsoon season from April to September, with the young being born from July to September at the time of greatest insect abundance. A female probably only has one or two young animals once a year, but in rare cases up to six young animals that are 47 to 54 millimeters long at birth. Males are polygynous .
Hazard and protection
The species is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). It is still relatively common, but regional populations may be threatened because of the ongoing desertification or the expansion of agricultural land.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Troy Best: Family Erinaceidae (Hedgehogs and Gymnures). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018, ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4 , pp. 288-330 (p. 324)
- ↑ a b Paraechinus micropus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Molur, S., 2016. Accessed on March 5 of 2019.