Desert hedgehog
| Desert hedgehog | ||||||||||||
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Desert hedgehog ( Paraechinus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Paraechinus | ||||||||||||
| Trouessart , 1879 |
The desert Nigel ( Paraechinus ) are a species with four species from the family of hedgehog (Erinaceidae).
The species
There are four types of desert hedgehogs:
- The Ethiopian hedgehog ( Paraechinus aethiopicus ) lives in northern Africa (from Morocco and Mauritania to Somalia ) and on the Arabian Peninsula .
- The Indian hedgehog ( P. micropus ) is found in Pakistan and northwestern India .
- Brandt's hedgehog ( P. hypomelas ) lives in Iran and Central Asia (in the Aral Sea area ) and occasionally in the Indus Valley and on the Arabian Peninsula.
- The naked-bellied hedgehog ( P. nudiventris ) lives in only a small area in southern India ( Kerala , Tamil Nadu ).
None of the four species are endangered according to the IUCN .
description
As with all prickly hedgehogs , the back of the desert hedgehog has pointed spines, but the top of the head is prickly. The rest of the body is covered with fur, the color of which can vary from white to brown to black. These animals reach a head body length of 14 to 27 centimeters (with a short, one to four centimeter long tail) and a maximum weight of 500 grams.
Way of life
Desert hedgehogs mostly inhabit dry habitats such as deserts or steppes, but they can also be found in areas with more vegetation such as oases and coastal regions. They are solitary and nocturnal and often spend the day in self-dug burrows or crevices. At night they go in search of food and cover greater distances in the process. They hibernate in cooler regions. In the event of an attack - their predators mainly include birds of prey and owls - they can curl up like the European hedgehog into a prickly ball.
food
Desert hedgehogs are primarily carnivores that eat insects , scorpions , eggs, lizards and snakes , and are amazingly resistant to snake venom. In addition, they can survive for several weeks without food or drink.
Reproduction
Little is known about the reproduction of the desert hedgehog. The gestation period should be around five weeks and the litter size one to four young animals. They are born blind and helpless, open their eyes after three to four weeks, and are weaned after six to seven weeks. Life expectancy in the wild is a maximum of three to four years, in human care up to ten years.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD u. a. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- Paraechinus on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved October 16, 2009.