White-breasted hedgehog. Eastern European or white-breasted hedgehog

Order - Urchiniformes / Family - Urchins / Genus - Eurasian hedgehogs

History of study

Eastern European hedgehog, or white-breasted hedgehog, or white-bellied hedgehog (lat. Erinaceus concolor) - mammal of the genus Eurasian hedgehogs; next of kin common hedgehog.

Spreading

The Eastern European hedgehog is distributed from Central Europe to Western Siberia. The northern border of the range runs through Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Moscow and Kirov regions. In the south it is found on the Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor, Israel, the Caucasus, Iran, northern Kazakhstan, as well as on the island. Crete and a number of other Mediterranean islands. In Russia it lives in the middle zone and in the south, also in the Southern Urals.

Appearance

The back and sides are covered with needles 2.5–3.5 cm long, white at the base and tip, and black or brown in the middle. The abdomen, covered with hard bristly fur, is brown, and there is a vaguely shaped white spot on the chest. The muzzle is dark brown and is crowned with small ears, almost invisible due to the fur. The hedgehog's body length reaches 35 cm, and its weight, depending on the time of year, varies from 600 to 1200 grams. There are no differences in color or size between the sexes.

Reproduction

The breeding season extends throughout the warm season. Females build brood nests 20-30 cm long and 15-20 cm wide from dry leaves, grasses and twigs. The nests are located in bushes, under hummocks and stones, even in woodpiles. During the year, the female brings 1 litter of 3-8 cubs.

Lifestyle

The predator lives in a variety of biomes, from semi-deserts to alpine meadows, at an altitude of up to 1100 meters above sea level.

The most preferred are wooded areas with edges, ravines, and thickets of bushes. The animal avoids dense perennial forests.

For most of their lives, animals live separately from each other, uniting in pairs only during the breeding season. The white-breasted hedgehog is most active at night, searching for food.

For wintering, the animal builds itself a small nest of dry grass, leaves and twigs, and in the summer it spends the night wherever necessary.

Despite the ability to curl up into a ball, turning into a prickly ball, predators still get to the hedgehog. The most dangerous enemies for the animal are owls, badgers, ferrets, and other mustelids.

Nutrition

The main diet of Eastern European hedgehogs consists of insects (beetles, Orthoptera, earwigs, caterpillars); prefers various types of ground beetles. Quite often it eats slugs, snails, woodlice, earthworms, as well as berries (strawberries, strawberries, raspberries, mulberries), moss, acorns, cereal and sunflower seeds, and mushrooms. Does not disdain carrion. In the north, the proportion of vertebrates in the diet increases - amphibians, lizards, small rodents.

Eastern European hedgehog, or white-breasted hedgehog, or white-bellied hedgehog(lat. Erinaceus concolor) - a mammal of the Eurasian hedgehog genus; the closest relative of the common hedgehog. There are many myths about hedgehogs. In children's books, hedgehogs are depicted with mushrooms and apples on their backs, which they supposedly carry into their burrow and store for the winter. Many people believe that a hedgehog can curl up into a ball and roll away from a predator. And the most dangerous myth for hedgehogs is that hedgehogs feed on milk. Mammals feed on milk only in childhood; in adulthood they lose the ability to digest milk. If you treat a hedgehog with milk, he will of course drink it, but this will lead to severe digestive upset, from which the hedgehog can die. Another fiction: the hedgehog is an excellent mousetrap. It is sometimes even called the prickly cat. Of course, he can eat a mouse, but only if it is sick, newborn or dead. Catch a healthy, agile rodent with lightning-fast reactions white-breasted hedgehog definitely not possible.

home distinctive feature The hedgehog is a spiny shell on its back. Thanks to strong subcutaneous muscles, a hedgehog can curl up into a ball and it is almost impossible to unravel it. It can raise its needles and become more prickly, or it can lower them and become “smooth.” By body size and proportions white-breasted hedgehog very similar to an ordinary hedgehog, but darker. Chest and shoulders white-breasted hedgehog almost always, especially in young individuals, they are covered with white fur, and the abdomen is usually brown, although it is also called white-bellied hedgehog . The hedgehog's body length is 23–35 cm, tail length is 2–4 cm. Body weight, depending on the time of year, varies from 600 grams (after waking up from hibernation) to 1230 g (before hibernation). The needles are light, with a dark belt in the upper part, up to 35 mm long, covering the back and sides. The ears are short. There are no differences in color or size between males and females.

In the north Saratov region white-breasted hedgehog widely represented both in the Right Bank and in the Volga region, where it is sympatrically connected with big-eared hedgehog. In the right bank part of the region, habitat is confined mainly to river valleys. Numerous in the floodplain forests of the Volga, Medveditsa and Khopra rivers, the species is also common on the outskirts of large and small settlements. Through intrazonal and local biotopes, the hedgehog penetrates into the semi-desert areas of the Saratov Left Bank. In the central steppe Trans-Volga region, the distribution of the white-breasted hedgehog is associated mainly with shelterbelts and terrain folds.

White-breasted hedgehog (lat. Erinaceus concolor)

Spreading white-breasted hedgehog in the Saratov region it is associated mainly with terrain folds, edges of deciduous watershed forests and shelterbelts, as well as with gardens and clearings. Less common in ravine forests, floodplains and open steppe. Most often hedgehogs inhabit deciduous forests with a well-developed undergrowth, providing a relatively high relative humidity, especially areas with clearings. The edges attract hedgehogs due to the abundance and diversity of invertebrates.

In open biotopes (in fields and steppe areas) it is rare, although it is regularly found on slopes overgrown with bushes and along steppe roads with dense thickets of roadside weeds. Within the Saratov region largest number The species is observed in mixed forests with a predominance of oak, maple, a small admixture of birch and single pine trees. The nesting den is usually made in dense bushes, where it carries a lot of dry grass and foliage; the litter consists of crushed plant materials. Males often do not build nests in summer, using natural shelters for rest. Sometimes hedgehogs live in burrows on the slopes of ravines.

Active at night. Males use natural shelters to rest; a nest of leaves, moss, hay and twigs is built only for the wintering period. The duration of hibernation depends on climatic conditions, age and amount of fat reserves of the animal; on average it lasts from November to the end of March. During hibernation, the white-bellied hedgehog loses up to 35% of its body weight, therefore, in order to survive the winter, the hedgehog must weigh at least 600 g, otherwise it will die during hibernation.

The main diet of Eastern European hedgehogs consists of insects (beetles, Orthoptera, earwigs, caterpillars); prefers various types of ground beetles. Quite often it eats slugs, snails, woodlice, and earthworms. Does not disdain carrion. Since hedgehogs are little sensitive to poisons, on occasion they willingly eat frogs, toads, snakes, hairy caterpillars and other inedible animals. Berries (strawberries, strawberries, raspberries, mulberries), mushrooms, moss, acorns, cereal and sunflower seeds and other vegetation can also serve as food for a hedgehog. But the hedgehog does not store mushrooms and apples for the winter, because he sleeps all winter and does not have the opportunity to eat. The hedgehog accumulates reserves for the winter in the form of fat. During hibernation, this fat is consumed, and the hedgehog lives off of these nutrients.

Like other hedgehogs, the white-breasted hedgehog is active at night and spends the day in shelters. But in the spring, hedgehogs, hungry during the winter, actively search for food during the day. In a calm state, the hedgehog walks leisurely, but when it hears the sounds of potential prey, it quickly runs. To better navigate in which direction to run, the hedgehog makes short stops in order to determine the distance to the victim and diligently sniff. If the victim is at a distance of no more than 20 cm, the hedgehog makes a throw. The hedgehog's hearing and sense of smell are well developed, but its vision is not very good.

When meeting an “enemy,” the hedgehog curls up into a spiky ball. Of course, a hedgehog cannot roll away from an enemy in this position; in order to escape, it must get to its feet. But a hedgehog can “keep a siege” in a collapsed position for quite a long time.

Some predators still manage to catch hedgehogs. The eagle owl attacks from the air, its flight is silent and the hedgehog simply does not have time to react and curl up.

By autumn, hedgehogs fatten up, find or dig a fairly deep hole, line it with dry leaves and hibernate until spring. The depth of the hole is very important, because if the hole freezes in winter, the hedgehog will die. During hibernation, the hedgehog's body temperature decreases greatly, the heart rate decreases (from 180 to 20–60 beats per minute), and breathing movements occur once per minute. Since in hibernation a hedgehog lives only from fat reserves. Often the white-breasted hedgehog, just like the ordinary one, overwinters for several years in the same nest. Like other types of hedgehogs, white-breasted hedgehogs live alone, looking for their own kind only during reproduction.

In the spring, when the air temperature rises, hedgehogs come out of hibernation and almost immediately begin to reproduce. Males have fights over females, during which they bite each other with their quills pulled up on their foreheads, try to hit their opponent harder, sniffle and snort loudly. The winner circles around the female for a long time to gain her favor. After mating, the male and female separate.

A week before giving birth, the female makes a nest in a secluded place: under the roots of a tree, in a bush, in an abandoned hole, even in a woodpile. The inside of the nest is lined with dry leaves, grass or twigs. 30–45 days after mating, the female gives birth to 2–8 naked, blind cubs in the brood nest. They are small - they weigh only 13–20 g. Hedgehogs are born without needles, the needles grow only after a few hours. At first they are soft, but after two weeks they become real thorns.

When babies are hungry or find themselves outside the nest, they quietly click and squeak, and also make sounds in the ultrasonic range. The mother, hearing these sounds, most often runs to the calf in trouble and drags it back to the nest. For a whole month, the mother feeds the cubs with milk. Young hedgehogs become independent at 1.5 - 2 months. By autumn they already weigh 350–450 g. Sexual maturity occurs in the second year of life. Hedgehogs can reproduce throughout the warm season, but a hedgehog gives birth to cubs only once per year.

The enemies of the white-breasted hedgehog are stray dogs, badger, steppe eagle, eagle owl, fox, wolf, marsh harrier, kite When cornered and attacked by a persistent predator or person, the hedgehog loudly puffs, snorts and jumps. Males make low, monotonous whistling sounds during the breeding season.

The lifespan of a hedgehog in natural conditions is three years, in captivity - up to four years.

The Eastern European white-breasted hedgehog (lat. Erinaceus roumanicus) belongs to the Hedgehog family (Erinaceidae). It is the closest relative, from which it differs by a white spot on the chest, dark brown sides and head.

The ancient Roman historian and writer Pliny the Elder wrote in his encyclopedic work “Natural History” that this animal carries apples on its needles, preparing supplies for the winter. In fact, it is insectivorous and has nothing to do with fruit harvesting. Nevertheless, the image created in antiquity has safely survived to this day.

In the anonymous collection of articles on nature, The Physiologist, which supposedly appeared in the 2nd-3rd centuries in Alexandria, apples were replaced with grapes. Christian morality was added to the fictional phenomenon - the fruit-stealing hedgehog became an allegorical embodiment of the devil, eager to steal immortal souls.

Subsequently, Archbishop of Seville Isidore of Seville (560-638) discussed this in detail in his twenty-volume encyclopedia “Etymology”. In 1598 he was canonized and canonized. Now he is considered one of the patrons of the Internet, students and webmasters.

Spreading

Its habitat occupies the territory from Central Europe to Western Siberia. Its southern border runs through the Balkans, the Black Sea regions of Ukraine and Transcaucasia to the shores of the Caspian Sea, and the northern border along the Baltic Sea coast through Belarus and the Moscow region of Russia.

In Malaya and Central Asia inhabited by the southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor), which until 2007 was considered a subspecies of Erinaceus roumanicus.

White-breasted hedgehogs inhabit a variety of landscapes with the exception of deserts and dense tall forests. They settle on forest edges, in river valleys, forest plantations and semi-deserts. In mountainous areas they live in alpine meadows at altitudes up to 1400 m above sea level. Animals feel comfortable in gardens, parks and personal plots.

There are 5 known subspecies. All of them produce hybrid offspring with ordinary hedgehogs in places where their ranges partially overlap.

Behavior

The white-breasted hedgehog is a staunch hermit. He tries to avoid any contact with his relatives except mating season. The home area of males reaches 100 hectares, while that of females is three times smaller.

During the day, the animal rests in a nest, which it builds from scrap materials.

Typically, twigs, moss, hay and grass are used as building materials. Sometimes hedgehogs don’t bother themselves with unnecessary trouble and settle in natural shelters. In the north of their range, they often settle in burrows abandoned by other animals.

From November to March, hedgehogs are in a state of hibernation. They spend it in a hole, having previously covered the entrance hole with earth. In winter they wake up several times. When frosts below -5°C arrive, their body temperature drops to 4°C.

Vision is poorly developed. Hedgehogs barely distinguish colors, relying on their keen hearing when hunting. They are capable of perceiving sound signals with a frequency of up to 20 kHz. A developed sense of smell allows them to find food, locate predators, and find breeding partners.

Despite their short limbs, the animals can run fast. At short distances they reach speeds of up to 60-120 m/min.

Nutrition

In the evening, Eastern European hedgehogs go out in search of food and feed until the morning. The diet is dominated by various insects, mainly beetles, grasshoppers, ground beetles, ants and caterpillars. In addition to them, the animals eat slugs, centipedes, earthworms and snails.

In summer they feast on berries, mushrooms and seeds cereal crops. Small rodents, frogs, lizards and carrion occupy an insignificant place in the daily menu.

At the beginning of autumn, animals eat intensively in order to acquire enough fat for the winter. Until spring they lose up to a third of their body weight.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity in females occurs at 3-4 months, but they usually mate at one year of age after the end of hibernation. Estrus lasts 10-14 days, twice a season. The female, ready for fertilization, finds the male herself and begins to show him signs of attention, regularly pushing and crawling on top of him.

After a week of such courtship, the partners change roles. The male becomes active and makes low whistling sounds, vaguely reminiscent of the cries of seagulls.

After mating, the partners separate forever. A plug forms in the female's vagina, preventing her from mating with other males.

Pregnancy lasts 30-40 days. Shortly before giving birth, the female builds a nest in a secluded place. There are 2-5, maximum 10 cubs in a litter. They are born weighing about 18 g.

Hedgehogs are born blind, deaf and naked. They are covered with dense hairs that harden within a few hours. At two weeks of age, their eyes open, and after another week, their ears form and hearing appears. At this time, they leave the nest for the first time and begin to taste solid food.

Milk feeding continues for more than a month. At the age of 6-7 weeks, hedgehogs become independent and disperse in different directions, but sometimes remain with their mother for some time. Because of high mortality No more than a quarter of young hedgehogs survive until next spring.

During the day, the temperature is maintained in the range of 22°-25°C, and at night it is lowered to 21°-23°C. Coolness below 18°C causes a decrease in metabolism and drowsiness. For heating, you can use 50 W incandescent lamps.

The terrarium is cleaned every day, removing any remaining urine, feces and uneaten food. Sawdust or fruit tree shavings are placed at the bottom.

You need to arrange a shelter for your pet in the terrarium. You can make a wooden house measuring 30x30x35 cm. The inside is lined with dry hay.

Feeding is done in the morning and evening. The daily consumption rate is 100-150 g of feed. You can feed insects, zoophobass, mealworms, boiled offal, eggs and fish. Cottage cheese and boiled porridge, greens, raw vegetables and fruits are gradually introduced into the diet.

Vitamins, fish oil and mineral supplements are periodically added to the food. Occasionally you can feed it with food for dogs and cats.

Sugar, salt and spices should not be added to the food. Milk, pork, potatoes, corn, grapes, citrus fruits and any confectionery products are strictly prohibited.

Description

The body length of adult individuals is 22-30 cm, and the tail is 2-4 cm. Depending on the time of year, weight ranges from 400 to 1350 g. Individual specimens accumulate up to 600 g of fat before hibernation.

The length of the short rounded ears does not exceed 35 mm. They are hidden by thick fur and are almost invisible. Top part the heads and back are covered with spines about 32 mm long. Between them there is sparse hair of brown or gray-brown color. There are more than 6,500 spines on the body. They are decorated with three light and dark stripes.

Brownish bristles grow on the belly. The white spot on the chest increases with age.

The front legs are shorter than the hind legs. There are five toes on the paws. All of them are armed with sharp claws. The large head is wedge-shaped. IN wildlife life expectancy rarely exceeds 5 years.

In captivity, with good care, the Eastern European white-breasted hedgehog lives up to 8-11 years.

Taxonomy

Russian name– White-breasted, or white-bellied, or Eastern European hedgehog

Latin name - Erinaceus concolor

English name - Eastern hedgehog

Class– Mammals (Mammalia)

Squad – Insectivora

Family – Hedgehogs (Erinaceidae)

Status of the species in nature

Classified as a species of least concern international status– IUCN (LC). Throughout its range, the white-breasted hedgehog is common.

Species and man

There are many myths about hedgehogs. In children's books, hedgehogs are depicted with mushrooms and apples on their backs, which they supposedly carry into their burrow and store for the winter. Many people believe that a hedgehog can curl up into a ball and roll away from a predator. And the most dangerous myth for hedgehogs is that hedgehogs feed on milk. Mammals feed on milk only in childhood; in adulthood they lose the ability to digest milk. If you treat a hedgehog with milk, he will of course drink it, but this will lead to severe digestive upset, from which the hedgehog can die.

Distribution and habitats

The range of the white-breasted hedgehog covers Central and Eastern Europe to the south of Western Siberia. The northern border of the range runs through Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Moscow and Kirov regions. In the south it is found in Asia Minor (Turkey), the Middle East, the North Caucasus, Iran, and Northern Kazakhstan. In Central Russia, the ranges of the Eastern European and common hedgehogs partially overlap, which leads to the emergence of hybrids.

The white-breasted hedgehog lives in a variety of biotopes from semi-deserts to alpine meadows. He was met in the mountains at an altitude of more than 1000 m above sea level. But everywhere hedgehogs prefer forest edges, shelter belts, field edges, banks of canals and ravines. The white-breasted hedgehog does not avoid being in the vicinity of people - it can be found on personal plot, in a square or in a park.

Appearance

The main distinguishing feature of the hedgehog is the spiny shell on its back. Thanks to strong subcutaneous muscles, a hedgehog can curl up into a ball and it is almost impossible to unravel it. It can raise its needles and become more prickly, or it can lower them and become “smooth.”

In size and body proportions, the white-breasted hedgehog is very similar to an ordinary hedgehog, but darker. The chest and shoulders are almost always, especially in young individuals, covered with white fur, and the abdomen is usually brown. The hedgehog's body length is 23–35 cm, tail length is 2–4 cm. Body weight, depending on the time of year, varies from 600 grams (after waking up from hibernation) to 1230 g (before hibernation). The needles are light, with a dark belt in the upper part, up to 35 mm long, covering the back and sides. The ears are short. There are no differences in color or size between males and females.

Nutrition and feeding behavior

The hedgehog is an insectivorous animal, that is, its diet includes various insects: beetles, grasshoppers, ants, dragonflies, as well as snails, centipedes, spiders and caterpillars. A hedgehog can catch and eat a mouse, a lizard, chicks or eggs of birds nesting on the ground, and does not disdain carrion. Since hedgehogs are little sensitive to poisons, on occasion they willingly eat frogs, toads, snakes, hairy caterpillars and other inedible animals. Berries, mushrooms, acorns and other vegetation can also serve as food for a hedgehog. But the hedgehog does not store mushrooms and apples for the winter, because he sleeps all winter and does not have the opportunity to eat.

The hedgehog accumulates reserves for the winter in the form of fat. During hibernation, this fat is consumed, and the hedgehog lives off of these nutrients. Moreover, there should be a lot of fat, since during hibernation the hedgehog loses more than a third of its weight. If by autumn it weighs less than 600 grams, it will die in winter.

Activity and social behavior

Some predators still manage to catch hedgehogs. The eagle owl attacks from the air, its flight is silent and the hedgehog simply does not have time to react and curl up.

By autumn, hedgehogs fatten up, find or dig a fairly deep hole, line it with dry leaves and hibernate until spring. The depth of the hole is very important, because if the hole freezes in winter, the hedgehog will die. During hibernation, the hedgehog's body temperature decreases greatly, the heart rate decreases (from 180 to 20–60 beats per minute), and breathing movements occur once per minute. Since in hibernation a hedgehog lives only from fat reserves, it loses up to 35% of its weight. Therefore, in order to winter well, the animal must weigh at least 600 g in the fall, otherwise it will die during hibernation. Often the white-breasted hedgehog, just like the ordinary one, overwinters for several years in the same nest.

Like other types of hedgehogs, white-breasted hedgehogs live alone, looking for their own kind only during reproduction.

The enemies of the white-breasted hedgehog are stray dogs, badger, steppe eagle, eagle owl, fox, wolf, marsh harrier, and kite.

Vocalization

When cornered and attacked by a persistent predator or person, the hedgehog loudly puffs, snorts and jumps. Males make low, monotonous whistling sounds during the breeding season.

Reproduction and development

Lifespan

The lifespan of a hedgehog in natural conditions is three years, in captivity - up to four years.

The Story of Life at the Zoo

The white-breasted hedgehog can be seen in the Night World pavilion in summer time, because hedgehogs sleep in winter. This pavilion has an “inverted” daylight hours: at night it is light, but during the day, when visitors come to the zoo, it is almost completely dark, there is dim lighting in blue or red. With such lighting, animals feel and behave as if in the dark.

The daily menu of the white-breasted hedgehog includes meat, newborn mice, grated carrots, chicken eggs, cottage cheese, and live insects.

The entire territory of Belarus

Family Hedgehogs (Erinaceidae).

Other names: Eastern European hedgehog, white-bellied hedgehog.

The white-breasted hedgehog inhabits the southeastern part of the West. Europe, Belarus, Kostroma and Kirov regions. The hedgehog is widespread throughout the republic and is common everywhere.

Previously, it was believed that the most common hedgehogs in Belarus belong to the common hedgehog species (Erinaceus europaes). However, it has now been proven that this type hedgehogs is the white-breasted hedgehog. Previously described as a common hedgehog (subspecies Erinaceus europaeus roumanicus - southern hedgehog). A study of hedgehogs in the central and southern regions showed that Erinaceus concolor is widespread in Belarus, although the existence of another species, Erinaceus europeus, is not denied. To accurately establish the species identity of a hedgehog, it is necessary to conduct research at the genetic level.

Length: body 18.0-24.5 cm, tail 1.3-2.4 cm, hind foot 3.4-4.3 cm, ear height 2.5-3.5 cm. Body weight 600-1200 g The body is short, dense, cervical region invisible from the outside. The head is small, wedge-shaped, ending in a sharp muzzle. The eyes are small and black. The ears are well developed, quite large, wide, rounded at the base. The limbs are five-fingered and short. The claws are strong and relatively long, suitable for digging. Characteristic sign- a prickly protective covering of needles on the back and sides. Strongly developed skin muscles allow you to adjust the direction of the needles. The rest of the body is covered with soft or coarse hair.

The general tone of the back color is very variable: from brownish-white to earthy-gray, but far from uniform. In very old animals, the color of the spiny shell is yellowish. The hair on the chest and, as a rule, the front part of the belly, and in some specimens the throat, are white in color, sharply contrasting with the rest of the lower body - the sides and back of the belly, which are brownish in color with individual white hairs. The limbs and tail are dark. The upper part of the head is gray-brown, almost dark brown.

Settles in a wide variety of but dry places. In Belarus, habitats are confined mainly to deciduous and mixed forests with undergrowth, especially towards the edges and clearings. Hedgehogs can be found in public gardens, gardens and parks big cities, on quiet rural streets, forest roads, in old shelterbelts. Avoid heavily swampy areas and continuous tracts of tall forests. Hedgehogs, unlike many other animals, often settle near human habitation and quite easily adapt to transformed landscapes. However, leading the twilight and night image life and not moving very quickly, they often die under the wheels of vehicles, especially on roads.

The mosaic nature of the listed biotopes, along with other factors, determines the population density of the species. The population density of the white-breasted hedgehog in various biotopes of south-eastern Belarus varies from 0.04 to 0.6 individuals. per hectare

Hedgehogs are secretive animals and leave their shelters only at dusk and at night, and during the day they sleep in dens among bushes or grass. True, in places where they are little disturbed, animals can be found during daylight hours, especially hedgehogs with hedgehogs taking sunbaths.

They run around openly, rustle leaves, snore loudly and slurp when eating. Sensing danger, they curl up into a ball, hiding their unprotected muzzle and abdomen.

The hedgehog nest creates a shelter for the winter and for the period when the young are born, collecting dry grass and leaves in a heap. The nest is usually located in bushes, crops or under the roots of trees, only rarely in burrows dug independently or abandoned by other animals. It is a shallow hole (6-10 cm). The bedding is moss, dried grass, dry leaves, straw, etc.

With the onset of cold weather (October-November, sometimes the end of September), hedgehogs hibernate, lasting until warm spring days. During sleep, body temperature drops from 34° to 5-6°C, breathing rate decreases from 40-60 to 6-8 per minute, all metabolic processes slow down, the animal exists due to subcutaneous fat accumulated since autumn. During thaws, individual animals can awaken and go outside.

In the south of Belarus, the spring awakening of the white-breasted hedgehog, as a rule, occurs in the first ten days of April, in the central and northern parts a little later, with complete thawing of the soil (with an increase in daily temperature up to +5°C and above).

In the spring, very thin after hibernation, hedgehogs begin to actively feed: the search for food becomes for some time their main concern not only at night, but also during the day. Everything that comes in the way is used: up to 200 species of animals and plants, in large quantities insects and their larvae, frogs, mouse-like rodents, lizards, snakes (including poisonous ones), eggs and chicks of birds nesting on the ground, etc. During the night, a hedgehog can eat an amount of food equal to one third of its body weight.

However, the basis of the diet in Belarus is made up of insects - ground beetles, rove beetles, and less often other types of large beetles - woodcutters, gravediggers, bronze beetles, and even water lovers, wasps, dragonflies. Of secondary importance in the nutrition of hedgehogs in spring time have beetle larvae.

The diet includes various groups of invertebrates ( earthworms, slugs, adult insects and their larvae) mainly ground and soil-dwelling species. They willingly eat juicy fruits of plants, eggs and chicks, birds, lizards nesting on the ground, snakes, small mammals. They do not disdain the corpses of vertebrates and large insects, which are collected on highways, which leads to the frequent death of animals under the wheels of cars.

Two weeks after awakening, mating begins.

Pregnancy lasts 5-6 weeks. Hedgehogs (there are 3-8 of them, on average 4) weigh 12-25 g and reach a length of 5-9 cm. They are born blind, deaf, toothless, naked, but within a few hours after birth white and dark soft needles appear, and on the third day - darker, sharper needles, with which the entire back of two-week-old hedgehogs is already covered. At the same age, the eyes open, and after another week teeth erupt. The hedgehogs are quite mobile, fighting among themselves for the mother's nipple. At two weeks of age, they already know how to curl up into a ball.

After the babies are born, all worries about the offspring fall on the mother, who at first practically does not leave them, warms them and feeds them with milk. Later, when leaving the nest, she covers the hedgehogs with grass and leaves. The lactation period is 30-35 days, ending when the body weight of the cubs is 100-150 g.

By the age of one month, the spiny shell is already well developed. At this age, hedgehogs begin to go for walks under the supervision of their mother, who takes care of them until the fall, teaching them the wisdom of life and feeding them with milk. In August, young hedgehogs already reach half the size of adults, and by autumn, before hibernation, they become independent, and families disperse. According to other sources, in Belarus, broods break up in late August - early September, and the young begin to live independently. The body weight of fingerlings by autumn is 350-450 g. Sexual maturity occurs in the second year of life with a body weight of 600-800 g.

One of the curious features of the hedgehog's biology is its low susceptibility to poisons. It eats not only poisonous snakes (vipers), but also such poisonous insects as the Spanish fly, T-shirt beetles, blister beetles, whose bodies contain the strong poison contaridin, destroys the nests of bumblebees, wasps and eats them without harming its health. Studies of the effects of poisons such as arsenic, sublimate, and chloroform on the hedgehog's body have shown that only large doses kill the animals. Viper venom is also not very dangerous for them, although the animal can die from a bite.

But usually the bite poisonous snake causes only a slight swelling and slight malaise in the hedgehog. And this does not happen often - the hedgehog deftly dodges poisonous teeth.

The hedgehog does not store food for the winter. Contrary to widespread misconception, he does not pick apples or carry them on thorns, since his back muscles are designed in such a way that, lying on his back, he cannot prick objects. However, it has been observed that the hedgehog pricks wild apples on needles protruding above its muzzle, but more for the sake of disinfection - the sour juice helps it get rid of fleas and ticks, which cannot be removed from the thorns. Perhaps for the same purpose, hedgehogs are tempted by soap, glue, cigarettes, cotton wool with valerian, some flowers, newsprint, etc.

The hedgehog doesn't have many enemies. Only a few predators can cope with it:

Life expectancy is about 6 years.

Hedgehogs tolerate captivity well. In captivity, hedgehogs eat bread, cottage cheese, fruits, and love milk. They drink it willingly, with strong smacking and sniffing. There are indications that mice, rats, and amphibians are caught in houses.

Literature

1. Emelyanova L. G. “Common hedgehog” / Animals: Popular encyclopedic reference book ( Animal world Belarus). Minsk, 2003. P.124-127

2. Serzhanin I. N. “Mammals of Belarus”. 2nd edition. Minsk, 1961. -321 p.

3. Grichik V.V., Burko L.D. "Fauna of Belarus. Vertebrates: textbook" Minsk, 2013. -399 p.

4. Savitsky B.P. Kuchmel S.V., Burko L.D. “Mammals of Belarus”. Minsk, 2005. -319 p.

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