The hedgehog is a unique creature, familiar to many from children's fairy tales, which instilled in him such qualities as experience and wisdom. This is an ancient mammal with a shock of needles on its back, slowly mincing on the ground with small short legs for more than 15 million years.
Description
The Daurian hedgehog is a representative of the hedgehog order and is similar to its relatives in almost everything. A distinctive feature is only the absence of a bare strip of skin on the head, which all hedgehogs have, as well as reduced pricklyness due to needles, whose growth is directed backwards.
In all other respects, the Dahurian hedgehog (photo in the article) is a familiar animal with a cone-shaped head of a straw-whitish color and a moderately elongated muzzle. The size of its body is about 25 cm, the tail is up to 3.7 cm. Small ears (up to 3 cm) are bent forward, but do not touch the eyes. The color of the fur varies from light sand to dark brown, the needles are endowed with one or two longitudinal stripes. The presence of circular muscles under the shell allows the animal to easily curl up into a tight ball.
The weight of the hedgehogis 600-1200 grams and depends on the season. During hibernation, body weight is minimal, and by the end of autumn, on the contrary, due to preparation for a long winter period, the hedgehog accumulates the necessary grams.
Food
In the diet, the needle mammal is indiscriminate and gladly accepts any food, not disdaining even carrion. A favorite delicacy are beetles, most often dark beetles and ground beetles, Mongolian toads, as well as eggs and young birds, whose nests are located on the ground. The hedgehog's diet is enriched with Dahurian ephedra, rose hips and cotoneaster during their ripening season.
Habitat
The habitats of the Daurian hedgehog are the territory of Russia, namely the Chita and Amur regions, Primorsky Territory, Central and Southern Transbaikalia, part of the territory of which was previously called the Daurian land. This gave the name to the animals living on its squares: Dahurian marmot, Daurian crane, Daurian hedgehog (photo is given).
Also prickly handsome can be found in Eastern Mongolia, Manchuria and Northeast China. True, the meetings are not as frequent as we would like, since in the 60s of the last century the habitats of the Daurian hedgehog were treated with the strongest pesticides, which led to the death of a huge number of representatives of this class of animals. The hedgehog in this case turned out to be an accidental victim, since the action of poisonous substances was directed against the carriers of the plague - field rodents.
In the natural environment, the habitat of the Dahurian hedgehog is the steppe regions, as well as semi-desert andmountainous areas with stony placers. It settles in abandoned rodent burrows, does not bypass dense shrubs, natural niches in the soil and under stones. Avoid areas with thick grass. Often the dwellings of the prickly handsome man are located near human habitation. This is explained by the absence of predators, the presence of secluded shelters and sufficient food.
Danger factors for Dahurian hedgehog
By the way, dangers lie in wait for the Dahurian hedgehog at every turn. On the animal side, these are the fox, the wolf, the steppe ferret, and dogs kept without a leash. It is difficult for a hedgehog to escape from a badger that can get him out of deep holes. From the winged representatives, the hedgehog is afraid of the steppe eagle, the long-legged long-legged buzzard, and the eagle owl.
Forest and steppe fires, the use of pesticides, agricultural harvesting activities significantly affect the reduction of the population.
Roads that carry death from the wheels of vehicles, as well as trapping and keeping them in captivity, in which conditions they can live up to 8 years, pose a lesser degree of danger to hedgehogs. In the natural environment, life expectancy is an order of magnitude less and is 3-4 years.
The above factors have become the basis for a person to control how and where the Dahurian hedgehog lives. The Red Book immortalized the need for careful treatment of such an endangered representative of the animal world.
The Dahurian hedgehog is characterized by a twilight lifestyle. He does not like humidity, so he avoids damp places and sits in a shelter,if it rains. But in cloudy weather it is active even in the daytime.
The Dahurian hedgehog falls into hibernation in August - October and leaves this state around the end of April.
Adult males are the first to go to sleep in August; juveniles - around October. Awakening for Dahurian hedgehogs is simultaneous and occurs around the second half of April.
Reproduction
In nature, Daurian hedgehogs live apart, but during the mating season, which occurs at the end of May, a couple lives together for several days.
Place for the appearance of offspring, the female usually settles in abandoned rodent burrows or digs a shelter on her own. The gestation period of hedgehogs is 37-40 days, usually in June - July, new offspring are born in the amount of 4 - 7 cubs. They are born blind, their eyes begin to open on the 16th day. Also, babies at birth have a bright pink skin color and no needles at all. They begin to grow after a few hours after birth. The female is characterized by especially reverent care for her offspring and, at the slightest danger, transfers her babies to a new lair.
Hedgehogs grow fast enough and start to leave the hole at the age of one month. They finally separate from the mother at 7-8 weeks, starting an independent life. Young males reach sexual maturity at 11 months, but competition with older individuals prevents them from taking part in breeding for about 2year.
The image of the Daurian hedgehog is immortalized on a 1 ruble commemorative silver coin from the Red Book series, issued in Russia in 1999 in a limited edition.
Daurian hedgehog: interesting facts
I would like to note a few interesting facts about both the Daurian hedgehog and the rest of his fellows:
- All hedgehogs have 36 teeth.
- The breathing rate of a hedgehog in a normal period is 40-50 times per minute, during hibernation it is 6-8 times. The decrease in body temperature is also proportional: during the normal period it is 34 degrees, during hibernation - 2 degrees.
- Hedgehogs have poor eyesight due to their excellent sense of smell and hearing.
- The resistance of the hedgehog to the viper's venom is amazing. Other poisons also have little effect on him: arsenic, opium, hydrocyanic acid.
