the hedgehog with its dense thorn-dress is a rather ancient mammal. Although hidden it lives, however, its sight is familiar for everyone. it admittedly is a twilight-animal, but little shy and hardly avoids the human being.
Hedgehogs and human being One can hear the hedgehog frequently shuffling through the garden already in the early evening. it seems to put in little effort not to be noticed. it also has an excessive caution hardly necessary. We people love it its possierlichen look and because of its trustful-ness. Against animal enemies, its thorn-dress, that it can pull like a gigantic hood over the whole body, protects it since year-millions. From the human being, the hedgehog is nevertheless threatened by the most severe danger, however: On average 9 hedgehogs are killed street on each kilometer in Germany annually. That is a huge bloodletting, and already many zoologist predicted it its quick extinction. However, a behavior independent also many other insectivores benefits it. It is it little wanderlust-y and preferred to be in a precinct of 200-300 meters of diameter. its at most proved traveling-route lies with 2,6 km. So one can hope that hedgehogs survive sufficiently in areas with less dense grid. An alteration of its innate behavior of rolling up entlangzuwandern and itself without worrying with danger - also on the street - everywhere is not to be expected in such a short time period like the automobile-age.
Shape Since everyone knows its look surely, it actually is idle to describe the shape of the hedgehog. its 2-3 cm long ones, at the 8000 thorns shapes its look. it has a very short, hardly visible, 2-4 cm long tail in contrast to the ancient hair-hedgehogs. Let's be able to tell a thorn more exactly by the look of us, so we see that it tapers above and below. The conclusion is constructed outsides by a sharp top, at the basis, the thorn is blunt. While knows the thorns in the youth-dress is, they later get one brightly - until dark brown Bänderung. The top and the middle of the thorns remain white light on that occasion until almost. The thorns are changed hair and go to the stomach into bristle-good and then even finer hair over. However, the bristles are not subjugated a regular hair-change like the remaining hair.
The not quite so big ears of our native hedgehog (short-ear-hedgehogs)!) lies, in contrast to which almost completely the long-ear-hedgehog (hedgehogs [1.]), in the bristle-good transition of thorns and hair hides. The eyes are, as with most insectivores, small. The Tasthaare have the biggest meaning with the bearings at its small trunk once, to the other, the hedgehog sniffs for himself with its always moist and very sensitive nose through its precinct. it can however still see better than many of its relative. One determined that it can perfectly distinguish different gray-shades in any case.
Spread The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) lives in whole Europe in numerous subtypes as far as on Scandinavia's north as well as Near east.
In the Alps, it is up to 2000 m in heights to find up to 3000 m in the Kaukasus, in an area therefore, where cripple-pines only grow.
Habitat Hedgehogs live in forest-edges, hedges and gardens. One finds it in the dunes equally like in the heath or in steppe-areas. The landscape must offer hiding place-possibilities only sufficiently for the day-silence and the hibernation. That can be crevices and caves like hedges or brushwood-pile equally. Hedgehogs populate Erdbaue of other animals just as gladly as barns or barns.
Way of life Hedgehogs are nightly living loners. Only during the combination-time or during the Jungenaufzucht, one is set on several hedgehogs eyes simultaneously. The hedgehog with foliage, moss and grass pads its shelter. The construction-material is together-scratched and is transported to the hiding place with the mouth. That the hedgehog spears leaves or even fruits with its thorns in order to transport it into its camp, an old, but nevertheless untrue fairy-tale admittedly is.
Hibernation In it soft and warmly padded camp spends also the time of the hibernation the hedgehog. The body-temperature is lowered on that occasion by 36 °C on 6 °C. its heart only instead of 180-once 20-once beats in the minute. With enough food-offer and accordingly high temperature, the hedgehog can also "give" up a hibernation fully.
Behavior Everyone can employ some interesting behavioral-observations of hedgehogs itself, it has only a small garden or park in the proximity and some patience.
Rolling in could already observe many surely. Until several points, the hedgehog, face, feet and stomach can hide in the big thorn-hood, in this position pauses. Most enemies, dogs, foxes and martens, become after some time of the painful attempts, the hedgehog again auseinanderzurollen, tired.
Hedgehogs can become rather tame; one must take only before its sharp teeth in eight, because the otherwise so trustful animals bite also its familiar keeper, it comes for them with the hand too draws near.
Hedgehogs also clash among each other and have small "box-fights", in that they push with head and shoulder powerfully.
Hedgehogs frequently lick themselves and must itself much, frequently numerous parasites' erwehren.
A known, but however badly explicable behavior of the hedgehogs, same-TB-spitting, is odd. Strongly smelling things, as hyacinth-leaves or also rotten meat, are chewed well by the hedgehog, and the created frothy saliva spit on different places of the thorn-dress. Possibly, the own smell, that could betray enemies the presence of the hedgehog like loot-animals as well, should be covered with it.
Food Hedgehogs live mainly from animal food. they eat everything, which they overpower and can reach. Very gladly they consume mice and birds albeit these only rarely become loot of the hedgehog thanks to its speed. Already mouse-boy more frequently is dug out in its nests and is consumed. However, the Gliedertiere are at first place in the menu by far. Woodlice and centipedes, earthworms and insects, also the poisonous oil-bugs, are consumed.
The hedgehog tolerates animal poisons in big cans. From the poison of the oil-bug, it can pick up the twenty-five-fold quantity of the dose poisonous for the human being. Against the poison of the adder, however, it is not immune. Only its long thorn-dress protects it from the fangs. The snake may admittedly bite again and again, however, the skin of the hedgehog doesn't reach with the short fangs. Beside adders, the hedgehog eats also more reptiles as well as frogs, toads and snails. The extensive food-plan is supplemented through vegetable food as well. Fruits (fruit, nuts and berries) are consumed as Beikost or in the food-poorer times.
Bigger loot admittedly becomes to - and hergeschüttelt, but killed not. The hedgehog begins its meal at an arbitrary place, bites off pieces for piece and chews, because of its simple insectivore-dentures, slow and thorough, while the still wriggling victim with the paws is held on to on the ground.
Reproduction The Liebeswerben of the hedgehogs can last for nights, snorts it with what and duels deliver puffing seemingly. With the love-game of the hedgehogs, the female is the more active part interestingly. they bite and fight initially and run one behind the other ago and rotate in the circle together.
The combination is carried out at stomach in back-situation or stomach in no way as one almost would have to introduce themselves it to these thorn-animals. After one actually was of this opinion long time, could finally be represented approximately 30 years ago that the female positions the thorns narrowly with the combination and the mating enables so.
The combination-time of the hedgehogs is between Aprils and Julys. After barely 5-6 weeks was born 2-10 kids. Some hedgehog-females toss twice per year.
In the birth, the thorns are stored into a swollen, water-rich skin so that the mother's birth-ways are not hurt. After approximately 2 days, the skin then becomes flabbier, and the thorns more and more clearly become evident.
The young hedgehogs open the eyes only after 14 days. they are suckled by the mother over one month long. The mother's milk is supplemented through myself-collected food however already previously more and more. The otherwise so unsociable hedgehog-mother umsorgt its children very much. If it leaves the nest once, so the babies are covered with leaves and grass-stalks. If the shelter is discovered or the mother worries, so it carries the babies individually in the mouth to another hiding place. After approximately 3 - 4 weeks, the boys are exported by the mother for the first time. The children follow the mother in the goose-march and must look alone for its food for itself soon.
After 9-11 months, the small hedgehogs even become sexually mature. Hedgehogs become approximately 6 years old.
Enemies In free nature, they hardly have enemies. Only some gripping-birds and owls are capable to beat hedgehogs with its long claws. Also badgers and martens should be able to overpower hedgehogs occasionally. That foxes spray hedgehogs with urine or even into the water carries as well as. rolls in order to force it into the task of its "hedgehog-position" is admittedly claimed again and again, has yet not been confirmed by any reliable informant, however. Until then, one must refer this fable the "Jägerlateins" in the empire!
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