Hedgehog information

Hedgehog, which belongs to insectivora, belongs to Hedgehog, whose scientific name is Hedgehog, and whose common name is Echinococcus in Fenghua. Hedgehogs are heterogeneous animals, and they can't stably regulate their body temperature to keep it at the same level. Hybrids hibernate everywhere. Desert hedgehog distributed in Arabia and Sahara desert, sleeping in summer; Its relative species, the Indian hedgehog, can survive for 4-6 weeks without food and water, and the big-eared hedgehog also has a hibernation period in India. Hedgehog has the ability to endure the decline of body temperature and metabolic rate during dormancy, so as to survive the difficult period of cold, heat or food shortage.

In China, there are 6 genera and 7 species of hedgehogs, among which hedgehogs are the most widely distributed. They have thick and hard spines on their backs, short ears and no spines sticking out. It can be seen from the northeast and north China to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It preys on all kinds of invertebrates and small vertebrates, and also eats plants such as roots, fruits and melons. Annual output 1 one child, 3-6 children per child. The big-eared hedgehog looks like a hedgehog, but its ears are longer and stand out from the thorns, which are found in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and other places. In the south, there are China abalone hedgehog, hairless hedgehog and Hainan new hairless hedgehog, all of which are rat-shaped species with no spines, hairy back and slender tail. Fenghua mountainous area and semi-mountainous area are more common.

Hedgehog has a keen sense of smell and is covered with hard thorns. It looks very cute.

Strange appearance

Fat and short, about 25 cm long, short limbs. The claws are curved and sharp. Eyes and ears are small. There are short and dense thorns on your body. When you are hurt by the enemy, you can curl up into a ball and protect your body with thorns. It has a prominent long face and a twitching nose.

hibernation

Hedgehogs hibernate every winter. During their five-month hibernation, they were almost as cold as zombies. By March, their bodies began to rise slowly, and their breathing and heartbeat gradually accelerated. When hedgehogs are preparing for winter, they have stored two kinds of fat in their bodies, one is ordinary white fat, and the other is special brown fat that grows on shoulder blades. It was with its help that the hedgehog was sent back to spring.

food

It is said that hedgehogs like apples with thorns on their backs. But the main food of hedgehogs is caterpillars, beetles, snails, earthworms and other small animals. A hedgehog can kill 70 grams of worms every day. They don't store food in their nests like apples.

The thorn of a hedgehog

Hedgehogs' hard spines are their magic weapon. Acupuncture is a variant of hair, which is very sharp and uncomfortable to touch. An adult hedgehog has about 5000 spines. With the growth of hedgehogs, there are more and more thorns on their backs to maintain a certain density, so an oversized hedgehog can reach 7-8 thousand thorns. This part of the abdomen is covered with soft hair. When they curl up, they contract the muscles of the whole body, so that the head and tail are pulled together and huddled together, making it impossible for the enemy to eat. This is the most effective defense method for hedgehogs.

Find a partner

The courtship process of hedgehogs is protracted and noisy, and the male hedgehog has to walk around the female hedgehog for hours. Because female hedgehogs must adopt a cooperative attitude when mating, otherwise mating is impossible. The male hedgehog's stomach is very thin. As long as the female hedgehog shows a little thorn, the male hedgehog must be tied away.