Hedgehog >.<
- Hedgehog mammals grow to 6” to 15”. The average adult hedgehog has about 5,000 spines, modified hair that are 2-3 cm. (1”) long. Hedgehogs have poor eyesight, acute hearing, short legs, a long pointed snout, and 36-44 teeth. Their color ranges from white to dark brown. There are fourteen species in four genera found in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Hedgehogs were also introduced in New Zealand. Their habitat is wooded or cultivated land, including gardens, where they enjoy a close relationship with man, tropical rain forests, steppe, and desert. Desert and long-eared species have powerful legs and strong claws for digging burrows in dry areas. Other hedgehog differences are size, color, and the length of ears and toes. All species, with the exception of the Four-Toed, have five toes on each foot.
- These mammals are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and eating at night. Desert and temperate hedgehogs can have dormant periods of hibernation when their body temperature drops to near the same temperature as their surroundings. They sometimes hibernate when there is no food. Northern African hedgehogs hibernate from October to late April. Tropical hedgehogs do not hibernate in their normal environment, but will if there is a lack of food. Occasionally a hedgehog will produce foamy saliva when stimulated by strong smells or tastes and smear it all over their body. This act, called self-anointing, is little understood. Some species can swim and climb, but mostly they stay on the ground.
- Hedgehogs provide a valuable insect pest control service. They are insectivores, eating earthworms, beetles, earwigs, slugs, millipedes, and caterpillars. Some species will eat bird’s eggs, mice, frogs, and other small rodents. They also have been known to eat seeds, berries, grasses and leaves, and fallen fruit. Stories in Russia and China tell of hedgehogs impaling fruit on their spines.
- If threatened, the hedgehog freezes and rolls into a ball with its spines sticking out for defense. When erected, the spines stick out at different angles to create an impassable barrier. Strong muscles curl the skin tightly over their body. European species appear to be immune to toxins, since they are able to eat bees and wasps. They can eat some venomous snakes, but cannot withstand a direct bite from them. They are vulnerable in India and China due to loss of habitat.
- Different hedgehog species breed at different times of the year, but most mate in the spring, and produce 4-6 offspring. Also the gestation period varies between 30-45 days. The young are born naked with ears and eyes closed. Spines are present at birth, but lie just under the skin and sprout in 36 hours. Their eyes open after fourteen days, their teeth at 21 days, and weaning occurs at 6-7 weeks. The hedgehog is a known carrier of fleas. Adults are solitary. They make snuffling noises when courting. They communicate and find food best through their well-developed sense of smell. Hedgehogs in the wild live from 3 to eight years; in captivity they may live up to 10 years.
