Kapigel
| Kapigel | ||||||||||||
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Kapigel ( Atelerix frontalis ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Atelerix frontalis | ||||||||||||
| ( A. Smith , 1831) |
The Kapigel ( Atelerix frontalis ) is a species of African hedgehog that lives in southern Africa . The two subspecies of the Kapigel occur there in two clearly separated regions.
features
The Kapigel is a medium-sized hedgehog, reaches a head-trunk length of 17 to 19 cm (females) or 18.5 to 21 cm (males) and has a short, 2 to 3 cm long tail. The rear foot length is between 3.1 and 3.6 cm. The spines are smooth, black or dark brown and have a whitish base and whitish tips. The peritoneum is dark brown, gray or black. The head is light, the region between the eyes and nose is black or dark brown. The ears are small, round, and shorter than the spines surrounding them. The ear length is around 76% of the hind foot length. The legs are short and gray-brown or dark brown in color. The hind foot has five toes. With a length of 15% of the head-trunk length, the tail is relatively short.
Distribution area and subspecies
The Kapigel is distributed with two subspecies in a disjoint distribution area in southern Africa. The nominate form Atelerix frontalis frontalis occurs in the east of Botswana , in the center and southwest of Zimbabwe and in South Africa in an area north of the Orange River and west of 31 ° East . In a narrow strip west of Lesotho, the distribution area extends over the Oranje to Makhanda . Atelerix frontalis angolae occurs in the southwest of Angola and in the northwest and center of Namibia .
Habitat and way of life
The Kapigel occurs in semi-arid areas with an annual rainfall of 300 to 800 mm. It is absent in deserts. It is relatively rare, but more common in suburban gardens where there is sufficient cover and food. The animals are mainly nocturnal and spend the day mostly curled up and hidden in the vegetation. If it has rained, however, they are also active at dusk, probably to eat earthworms. In the South African winter, which coincides with the dry season, the Kapigel hibernate. They feed mainly on snails, but also worms, insects, small vertebrates such as mice, lizards, frogs, the young of ground-breeding birds, as well as eggs and fruits. They do not seem to be dependent on open water sources for drinking. The breeding season is in summer (October to April). The gestation period is five to six weeks. One to nine young are born per litter, in most cases four. A leaf nest or a cavity z. B. in a termite mound. The young stay in or near the nest for four to six weeks, after which the female accompanies them for a while in their search for food. Male Kapigel do not take part in the rearing of the young. The milk cow ( Bubo lacteus ) is one of the predators of the Kapigel .
Danger
The IUCN lists the Kapigel as Least Concern.
literature
- DCD Happold: Atelerix frontalis Southern African Hedgehog, pages 34 to 36; in Meredith Happold and David Happold (Eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume IV. Hedgehogs, Shrews and Bats. Bloomsbury, London, 2013, ISBN 978-1-4081-2254-9 .
Web links
- Atelerix frontalis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Hutterer, R., 2008. Accessed June 25, 2015.