Somali hedgehog
| Somali hedgehog | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Somali hedgehog ( Atelerix sclateri ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Atelerix sclateri | ||||||||||||
| Anderson , 1895 |
The Somali hedgehog ( Atelerix sclateri ) is a little-known species of hedgehog from the African continent. The animals occur exclusively in Somalia and are only occupied in a few places.
features
The Somali hedgehog reaches a head-trunk length of 22 to 26 cm and has a very short, 1.4 to 2 cm long tail, which is lightly haired and usually not visible. The rear foot length is between 2.5 and 2.8 cm. The spines are dark and smooth. The peritoneum is whitish with dark spots in the back, the head is also whitish. The ears are small, round, and shorter than the spines surrounding them. The ear length is about 88% of the hind foot length. The legs are short and dark in color. The front feet have five toes, the hind feet four. The first toe is small. The third premolar has two tooth roots . The white-bellied hedgehog ( A. albiventris ), whose range is further west, has light-colored legs.
habitat
The Somali hedgehog is only known from a few places in northern Somalia. Most of them are in the coastal plain, where it is said to be relatively common, the highest is at 1,360 meters above sea level in the mountains near Sheik, southeast of Berbera . The entire habitat is desert-like and characterized by high aridity . Behavior and the way of life have not yet been researched. They can be assumed to be the same as those of other hedgehogs from arid climates.
Danger
The IUCN lists the Somali hedgehog as Least Concern.
literature
- DCD Happold: Atelerix sclateri Somali Hedgehog, page 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 sclateri in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Hutterer, R., 2008. Accessed June 25, 2015.