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Hedgehogs are humble mammalian with cone - shaped faces , short legs and body that are cover up with porcupine - alike quill . Despite their similar coming into court , hedgehog and hedgehogs are not closely related .
Unlike porcupines , hedgehog calamus are not easily detach from their bodies , according toAnimal Planet . Hedgehog flight feather are made from keratin , much like human nails . agree to the African Wildlife Foundation ( AWF ) , a hedgehog can have as many 6,000 quills on its eubstance .
The humble hedgehog.
When in danger , the hedgehog roll into a ball so that the quill track the entire area of their exposed body and protect the animal from predators , consort toNational Geographic . Once they are in a ball , they must ride out still . It is a myth that they can revolve while curl into a ball .
Size
Most hedgehogs can fit in an grownup ’s hand . They ramble in sizing from 4 to 12 inch ( 10 to 30 cm ) , grant to theSan Diego Zoo . They typically weigh from 5 to 56 ounces ( 155 to 1,584 grams ) , count on the species .
Habitat
hedgehog can be regain in Europe , Asia , Africa and New Zealand , harmonize to National Geographic . They can live in a wide range of habitats , including savannah , forests , deserts , scrublands and suburban gardens .
Hedgehog home are usually tunnel and nests they build themselves . Hedgehog burrows can be up to 20 inches ( 50 curium ) deep , according to the San Diego Zoo , and nests are made from leaves , branches and other botany . Sometimes , hedgehogs take over burrows that other animals have left behind or snuggle between sway .
Habits
hedgehog are lonesome creatures that are big sleepers and can sleep up to 18 hours per sidereal day , according to Animal Planet . They are also nocturnal , which mean they catch some Z’s during the day . This can make them poor favourite choices for someone that wants and active darling during daytime hours .
At night , hedgehogs search for food . Hedgehogs have poor eyesight and rely on hearing and smell out to help them find food . porcupine have up to 44 tooth , according to the San Diego Zoo .
They use rest to protect themselves from utmost climate in addition to just make rest . hedgehog hibernate in cold climate , and they sleep through time of rut and drought in comeuppance . This summons of catch some Z’s during heat and drought is prognosticate aestivation . In areas where there are n’t extreme climates , hedgehogs are alive and have normal quietus cycles , according to National Geographic .
European hedgehog in maple leaves.
Diet
Hedgehogs are name for the means they eat , according to National Geographic . They root underneath hedges and other flora , making huff noises like a hog . During this activity , they detect meals of yield , fungi , centipedes , insects , snails , worm , mice , frogs , eggs , dame , frogs , reptiles , roots and snakes . fit in to the AWF , hedgehogs can eat one - third of their organic structure weights in just one night .
Offspring
hedgehog only give parentage once per year after a pregnancy of four to six week . Their litter normally lie in of four to seven young at one prison term . Each baby hedgehog , call a hoglet or shoat , matter less that 1 ounce ( 3 to 25 universal gravitational constant ) at birth .
Typically , the female parent protects her piglets from predators as even the father may attempt to eat the young . Sometimes , if the nest is disturbed , the female parent may even become the marauder and will eat on her untested .
After four to seven week , piglets are on their own . At nine to 11 month they are amply mature and will live three to eight years in the wild or up to 10 years in captivity , concord to the San Diego Zoo .
Classification/taxonomy
The taxonomy of hedgehogs , fit in to theIntegrated Taxonomic Information System , is :
Kingdom : AnimaliaSubkingdom : BilateriaInfrakingdom : DeuterostomiaPhylum : ChordataSubphylum : VertebrataInfraphylum : GnathostomataSuperclass : TetrapodaClass : MammaliaSubclass : TheriaInfraclass : EutheriaOrder : ErinaceomorphaFamily : ErinaceidaeSubfamily : ErinaceinaeGenera : Atelerix , Erinaceus , Hemiechinus , Mesechinus , ParaechinusSpecies : 16 are recognise . model include :
Conservation status
concord to the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) , hedgehogs are not endangered and are labeled as " least concern . " This label means that an animal ’s universe is rise and is not threaten .
Hedgehogs as pets
Owning a hedgehog is prohibited in Alabama , California , Georgia , Hawaii , Maine , Pennsylvania and Vermont , harmonize to Millermeade Farms , a hedgehog breeder , while ownership is restricted in Arizona , New Jersey and Oregon . harmonise to Animal Planet , owning a Erinaceus europaeus is also illegal in Washington , D.C. , and New York City .
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