How do hedgehogs mate? This question is asked by many people. Most likely, this is not a very pleasant process. After all, during such an action, you can also cut your stomach on the sharp thorns of your partner. If you think so, then we will now tell you all the subtleties of this process. Believe me, nature has provided for everything. We will now consider all aspects of this issue.

People's opinions

Now there are many theories about how hedgehogs mate. Some even suggest that they shed their needles or lay eggs. Of course, all of this is false.

So, how hedgehogs mate... There is another theory - they do it, clinging to each other, in, so to speak, a missionary position. Unfortunately, scientists have refuted this theory. So how do hedgehogs breed?

"Prickly" truth

Mating occurs in exactly the same way as in most mammals. The female lies on her stomach, presses the needles to the body and bends her back. Meanwhile, the male comes up from behind, climbs onto the hedgehog, and then proceeds directly to the process itself. That's it, the secret is out. As you can see, there is not much fun in it.

hedgehog breeding

Now let's talk about the scientific description of animals. So, hedgehogs are polygamous. Already in the second year of their life, they become sexually mature, they are ready for mating and reproduction. In winter, hedgehogs hibernate, that is, their life is divided into certain periods. Consequently, like many mammals, the breeding season in these animals begins in spring, April-May, and continues until the end of summer.

The female carries the cubs for about 40 days. During the year, as a rule, from two to eight hedgehogs are born. True, cubs often die, since they are not able to hibernation get enough fat. The first two months the kids spend with their mother, after which the young are ready for independent living. At the age of two months, the animals leave their mother and never return to her again.

Reproduction of hedgehogs at home

Under such conditions, it is quite difficult to get offspring from these mammals. In this case, it is very important to choose the right period when two individuals will be ready for the mating process. Remember that hedgehogs are This means that they are mostly awake when you sleep, that is, at night.

If you still managed to bring two hedgehogs together, and the female brought offspring, then 30 days after the birth of the babies, you need to transfer them to meat food. Contrary to the well-known judgment, hedgehogs - therefore, throw away the thought that they walk through the forest, collect various mushrooms and berries. Remember that the transition to meat food should be done gradually. Cubs need to start giving chopped meat mixed with boiled egg. What else can you offer little hedgehogs? You can feed babies with millet porridge cooked in milk. As the cubs grow older, it is necessary to reduce the share of dairy products in their diet, gradually switching to the diet of adult hedgehogs, whose diet is based on meat (finely chopped), as well as insects and larvae.

If you have several adult hedgehogs, then you need to keep them in different dwellings. Remember that these animals are loners. In one cage, you can keep a couple during the breeding season or young animals. Do not be afraid to separate the couple after mating, hedgehogs are polygamous animals, such a phenomenon will not cause any stress or disturbance in them. Another important point in the life of such animals - hibernation. If the hedgehog does not hibernate, then there is a chance that he will die. This period in animals begins in October-November. Before hibernation, you need to intensively feed the hedgehog so that it gains fat mass. What else needs to be done? Of course, prepare a place for hibernation, the temperature in which should not exceed five degrees. For these purposes, you can use a garage or loggia.

Conclusion

Now you know how hedgehogs mate. This means that there is one less exciting question. For you, the mating of hedgehogs is no longer a secret, so you can breed these spiny creatures at home.

This article will focus on an incredibly cute animal that is in the order of insectivores and the hedgehog family. This is a common hedgehog. Despite its cute appearance, the animal is a predator. You can meet him in almost any abandoned garden, but mostly at night. So, let's figure out what an animal hedgehog is? How many years does this cute animal live?

Common hedgehog: description and characteristics

This animal is well known to everyone. Ever since children's fairy tales, we all know a sweet, kind animal, which can often be met on its way. The common hedgehog is called so thanks to latin phrase, which characterizes the animal as a "prickly barrier".

Habitat

In fact, there are more than 20 types of hedgehogs, but they are all similar to each other. The body of the hedgehog does not exceed 20 centimeters. The eyes of the animal are like small beads, by the way, the eyesight of the hedgehog is not very good. As for the sense of smell and hearing - here you can envy the hedgehog, despite the fact that the animal has rather small ears and nose.

There is a misconception that hedgehogs and porcupines are relatives. In fact, this is absolutely not the case.. Although they have similarities, the relatives of hedgehogs are, rather, moles and shrews. Not always, a similar animal is in family ties with a hedgehog. For example, the famous sea urchin has nothing in common with the common hedgehog, although they are called the same.

Hedgehog is a predator that eats insects . On average, the beast weighs about 800 grams., but before falling into hibernation, he can gain a weight reserve of up to 1200 grams. The female hedgehog is always fewer males. The hedgehog's hind limbs are longer than the hind limbs. Each paw has sharp claws. The tail of the animal is very small and almost invisible.

Hedgehog needles are hollow inside. They are usually no more than 3 centimeters long. Under each of them are muscle fibers that help the hedgehog retract and straighten the needles. During the year, the hedgehog may grow new needles. The animal never sheds its fur coat, it is updated throughout the year on its own. Dropping can only occur in a sick animal.

One adult hedgehog carries up to six thousand needles, a young one - up to three thousand. The tummy of the animal is covered with small, sparse and dark hair.

The famous chip of hedgehogs is that when threatened, it curls up into a ball. This ability of the animal is associated with the ability of the circular muscles to stretch the skin during contraction. A hedgehog can lie rolled up in a ball long time until the dangerous situation has passed.

Hedgehogs live on only two continents:

  • Eurasia;
  • Africa.

Favorite habitats of these prickly animals are grass thickets, river banks, forests and abandoned gardens. Hedgehogs do not live only in swamps and in coniferous forest. Hedgehogs are loners. They always live in the same territory, where they constantly roam in search of food.

Very often you can meet a hedgehog near residential areas: in parks, gardens, fields. This happens when the season of forest and field fires comes and the hedgehog simply has nothing to eat. For the sake of survival, he goes to people and tries to find food for himself. Satisfied hedgehog, will move away from human territory as soon as it has enough to eat.

The nature of the animal and its lifestyle

The hedgehog is a nocturnal animal, during the day, as a rule, it sits in secluded places, which it finds in thickets, foliage and bushes. The animal cannot stand the summer heat and tries to hide from the scorching sun in dry grass or burrows. The dimensions of the dwelling are no larger than the hedgehog itself, approximately 25 centimeters. It is in this dwelling that the hedgehog takes care of itself, licking its tongue.

In the dark, the hedgehog is helped to navigate in space by its keen sense of smell. The animal is quite active and can cover a distance of three kilometers during the night. The animal moves slowly enough but for its size, we can say that the speed of 3 meters per second is swift for him. Oddly enough, the hedgehog is an excellent swimmer and even knows how to jump.

The hedgehog is a rather peaceful animal, which despite this has many enemies. This is:

If the hedgehog meets the enemy, then first he attacks him to stab him, after which he curls up into a prickly ball. The enemy pricks on sharp needles and realizing that the hedgehog is impregnable - leaves.

There are methods of deceiving a hedgehog, which are used by lovers to feast on these animals. For example, an eagle owl always attacks a hedgehog unexpectedly and quietly. The animal simply does not have time to react. In addition, the eagle owl's paws are protected from hedgehog stings. A fox that hunts a hedgehog will try to drive it to a pond and attack there, since a swimming hedgehog cannot curl up into a ball.

If the attack comes from a snake, then the hedgehog will most likely win the fight. He will grab the enemy by the tail and pull it under him, curling up into a ball. Interestingly, hedgehogs do not actually have sensitivity to the venoms of many snakes. Also hedgehogs "does not take" hydrocyanic acid, arsenic and opium.

When autumn comes, the animal begins to eat up and accumulate fat reserves that will help to survive hibernation. By the way, hedgehogs living in warm regions do not fall into hibernation.

Hedgehogs sleep in their mink, while all processes in the body of the animal slow down, and even the number of heartbeats decreases. As soon as the air temperature becomes warm, by mid-April the hedgehog wakes up. If there is not enough fat reserves for the hedgehog, then his death is quite possible.

Animals fiercely guard their possessions from ill-wishers. The size of the property of the female can reach up to 10 hectares, and the male - twice as much. When exploring their site, hedgehogs snort and sneeze.

Nutrition

The hedgehog mainly feeds on insects, worms and amphibians and other small reptiles. And also the hedgehog eats insect larvae, snails, and does not even disdain to ruin a bird's nest and eat eggs or hatched offspring.

I must say that this animal is an incredible glutton. This is not a whim, but a necessity. Fat reserves - vital important condition for survival. The prickly beast can supplement its diet with berries and some fruits.

The hedgehog needs food especially after waking up from hibernation. In order to replenish strength, the animal can eat a third of its weight at a time. Animals living in captivity are very fond of meat, bread and even cereal cereals. Wrong opinion about that the hedgehog loves milk. He not only does not love him, it is dangerous for the animal, since lactose is simply not tolerated by a small organism.

Reproduction, offspring and life span of an animal

Mating season is coming in early spring or in summer. The female must be won in combat with other males. During conflict, males bite, fight and snort loudly at each other. The hedgehog chooses the female he likes by smell.

The pregnancy of a hedgehog lasts from 40 to 56 days. Babies are born once a year. In one litter, as a rule, four cubs. Just now born hedgehogs do not have needles at all and are completely blind. But, after a few hours, soft spines begin to appear, which after a day become coarser and larger. . Hedgehogs develop like this:

  1. a prickly cover is formed on the skin;
  2. babies develop the skill of curling up;
  3. after passing the first two stages, the eyes of the babies open.

For one month from birth, hedgehogs feed exclusively on mother's milk. A hedgehog lives with babies in a shelter prepared in advance, which is built from leaves and dry branches. If someone discovers the lair, then the hedgehog changes its place and moves the nest for safety reasons.

They leave the mother of the hedgehog after two months of age . Sexually mature hedgehog becomes at the age of 1 year.

Lifespan hedgehog is 3 to 5 years.

Appearance

The hedgehog is a well-known animal in appearance, whose back and sides are covered with short dark needles. Needles up to 3 cm long; in adult hedgehogs there are 5000-6000 of them, in young ones - only 3000. The needles are white at the base and at the end, in the middle they are painted with stripes of black, white and brown. The fur on the muzzle, legs and abdomen of the hedgehog is hard; in Russia, its gray color is most common. The chest and throat are solid with no white patches, unlike the similar white-bellied urchins.

The length of the hedgehog's body is 135-265 mm, the tail is no more than 3 cm; it weighs an average of 700-800 g, but before hibernation it can eat up to 1200 g. Males are larger than females. The muzzle is elongated, mobile; nose sharp and constantly moist. The eyes are black and round. The ears are short (less than 3.5 cm), rounded, almost hidden in the fur. The limbs are five-fingered, with rather sharp claws; the hind limbs are slightly longer than the forelimbs. There are 20 small sharp teeth on the upper jaw, 16 on the lower.

Needles

Hedgehog needles are hollow, filled with air and divided into compartments by transverse discs. Each ends with a small extension that is under the skin; therefore, the needles fall out along with the shreds of skin. They are smooth, without grooves and notches; like normal hair grow from the follicle. A muscle fiber is attached to each needle, which raises and lowers it; raised needles cross at different angles, creating a reliable prickly cover. Under the skin of the back of the hedgehog is a special muscle panniculus carnosis, which, when contracted, allows it to curl into a prickly ball. Each needle grows 12-18 months; the molting of the hedgehog is slow - on average, one needle out of three changes per year (mainly in spring and autumn).

Spreading

The area of ​​​​distribution of the common hedgehog covers Europe (including Ireland and Britain), the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and Asia Minor. North of 61°N he is rare. In Russia it is found in middle lane European part, in the Middle Urals and in the south of Western Siberia. At the end of the XIX century. was established in New Zealand, where it is now abundant. Judging by the fossil remains, it was also previously found in North America.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Hedgehog - a native of the forest-meadow and steppe zones. It enters the taiga and semi-desert zones only along the valleys. big rivers and them major tributaries. Avoids continuous forests and vast swamps; especially often found on the edges, copses, forest belts, small glades, in floodplains of rivers. In places of joint habitat with the white-bellied hedgehog, it concedes to the latter these habitats, going deep into the forests. It occurs in the mountains (up to 2000 m above sea level), common in cultivated areas: gardens, parks, household plots.

The hedgehog leads a solitary lifestyle. Males aggressively protect individual feeding areas from each other. The areas of plots for males range from 7 to 40 ha, for females - from 6.9 to 10 ha. The males' territories may overlap with the females', but the territories of pregnant and lactating females never overlap. Within its territory, the hedgehog arranges several (up to 10) nests hidden in thorny bushes, under logs, in heaps of brushwood, etc. places. The nest (diameter 15-20 cm) is lined with dry grasses, leaves, moss, wood dust. In summer, it does not dig holes, sometimes it occupies empty holes of rodents. Active mainly at dusk and at night. In the spring, when hedgehogs emerge from hibernation, they are also active during the daytime. The hedgehog sleeps, curled up in a loose ball.

With the onset of frost (below +10 °C), having accumulated fat reserves, the hedgehog clogs the entrance to the hole and falls into hibernation, the duration of which depends on climatic conditions. AT Central Russia hibernation begins in late September - early October, although some individuals fall into a stupor as early as August. The adult males go into hibernation first, then the young of early litters and females that finish breeding early; the last - young late litters and females that had late broods. In regions with unstable snow cover, periods of hibernation alternate with periods of activity. In hibernation, the hedgehog's heart rate drops to 20-60 beats, and breathing - to one breath per minute. If a hedgehog falls asleep without a sufficient supply of fat (at least 500 g), he risks dying of hunger during hibernation. In some years, the mortality of hedgehogs during hibernation reaches 86% of young animals and 30-40% of adults. Hibernation ends in April, when the air temperature rises to +18 °C.

Hedgehog curled up in a ball.

The hedgehog feeds mainly on insects (beetles, earwigs) and their larvae, nods, slugs, snails, earthworms. A special delicacy for him are the larvae of mosquito centipedes, centipedes Glomeris marginata and Tachypodoiulus niger, and forest ground beetle carabus nemoralis. In nature, it rarely attacks vertebrates; most often, its victims are amphibians and reptiles (including snakes) that have fallen into a stupor, with which the hedgehog bites the spine. From vegetable feed he prefers acorns, mushrooms, berries and fruits. The hedgehog is very voracious, especially after hibernation - during the night it can eat food, which is equal to 1/3 of its weight. Hedgehogs kept as pets in captivity will readily eat meat, eggs, and bread. Contrary to popular belief, milk is unhealthy for hedgehogs and should not be fed dairy products as they are lactose intolerant. Dog or cat food is also not suitable for them, as it contains too much fat and is too poor in proteins. However, he loves ice cream. In addition, he enjoys eating oatmeal porridge.

Hedgehogs have a keen sense of smell and hearing, but poor eyesight. They run at speeds up to 3 m/s, swim and climb well. Wandering through the forest in search of food, the hedgehog rustles with last year's dry foliage, and it is easy to spot it by this noise. Hedgehogs make a variety of snorting and sneezing sounds, growling and clicking their teeth. The cubs, while in the nest, emit a whistle and quack, similar to a bird.

reproduction

Shortly after leaving hibernation, hedgehogs begin mating season, which continues all the way. warm time of the year. There are fights between males because of females: they bite each other, use needles, push, sniffing and snorting loudly. Caring for the female, the male walks around her in circles (10-12 times).

After mating, the male and female separate. The female digs a brood burrow or occupies an abandoned rodent burrow. Pregnancy lasts 31-49 days; offspring appears in May-October. There is usually one litter per year, but if the first mating happened early enough, there may be a second. There are from 1 to 9 (usually 5) cubs in a litter. Hedgehogs are born blind, naked, with bright pink skin, but after a few hours they have soft white needles, up to 150 in number. After 36 hours, dark-colored needles erupt. By the 18th day of life, hedgehogs are already completely covered with spines. On the 11th day, they can curl up into a ball, and on the 14-16th day, their eyes open. The mother takes care of the offspring for only 4-6 weeks. Puberty in hedgehogs occurs at 10-12 months. Hedgehogs live in nature 3-5 years, in captivity 2-3 years

Benefit and harm to people

The common hedgehog is useful in the destruction of harmful insects: among the insects it eats are May beetles, hairy ground beetles, nun caterpillars and gypsy moth. At the same time, the hedgehog destroys the chicks and eggs of small birds nesting on the ground. So, in the Outer Hebrides, introduced hedgehogs turned into real pests, destroying the clutches of birds such as snipe, dunlin, snail and lapwing. Hedgehogs also rob layings of ordinary chickens and kidnap chickens.

A hedgehog can be a carrier of diseases such as ringworm, yellow fever, salmonellosis, leptospirosis. on them in large quantities there are ticks and fleas. For example, the study of ixodid ticks (carriers of tick-borne encephalitis, tularemia, babesiosis large cattle, piroplasmosis of horses) revealed that hedgehogs are among the hosts on which ticks feed in all phases of development. In forest lands, hedgehogs collect ticks, including encephalitic ones, more than any other animals, since its prickly cover, like a brush, combs hungry ticks from the grass. From ticks that have climbed between the needles, the hedgehog is not able to get rid of. During the spring season, each hedgehog feeds on itself tens of thousands of ixodid ticks; even a special unit for counting ticks in natural foci - “hour-hour”, meaning the number of ticks, has even entered the literature, collected by hedgehog per hour of running through the focal area of ​​the forest.

Hedgehog - the most common, sometimes numerous species. It easily adapts to life around people and is quite often kept as a pet. It is known that the Romans in the IV century. BC e. hedgehogs were grown for meat - it was baked together with needles in clay. Some folk remedies (particularly for baldness) included ashes, bile, entrails, or hedgehog blood.

Privada

No more than one site must be selected. square meter, preferably from the eastern or southern side of the house, stick into the ground with both ends 4-6 flexible rods like a yurt so that inside this yurt there is a space the size of a soccer ball. From above, make a stack of dry grass up to half a meter high and cover it with something from the rain. Get a hedgehog house. Put a bait from the remains of fish or chicken bones into it.

Folklore about hedgehogs

  • Hedgehogs are mentioned in jokes:

“The secret of longevity of hedgehogs has been discovered! It turned out that there is no secret. Yes, and hedgehogs do not live long ... "

  • Vladimir Dal mentions a hedgehog in the following context:

"Keep someone in a tight grip, strictly."

"Hedgehog head to teach the craftswoman."

"He is overgrown with hedgehog bristles."

“Head hurts: cut to the goal, sprinkle with hedgehog fluff, and hit with a butt, a joke on doctors.”

Application in Russia under Dahl: "A hedgehog skin with needles, imposed on the muzzle of a calf, so that the cow would not be allowed to suck on him."

  • Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books makes multiple references to "The Hedgehog Song". The song is about the complexity of the hedgehog breeding process and is somewhat obscene. The text of the "Song of the Hedgehog" did not appear in the books, but there are many fan-made variations in both English and Russian.
  • See also Hedgehog in the fog.
  • Fried hedgehog is a national gypsy dish.

Links

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See what "Common hedgehog" is in other dictionaries:

    Ordinary, everlasting, everyday, everyday, commonplace, wound up, ordinary, hackneyed, everyday, general, ordinary, constant, habitual, accepted, generally accepted, simple, ordinary, torny, common, commonly used, lesson, ... ... Synonym dictionary

    hedgehog- Erinaceus europaeus see also 1.1.1. Genus forest urchins Erinaceus Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus (Table 1) Head, flanks and belly grey, quills with dark transverse stripes. It lives in central European Russia, in the Middle Urals and in ... Animals of Russia. Directory

    ORDINARY, ordinary, ordinary; ordinary, ordinary, ordinary. 1. full only Habitual, regular, regular. "Reading did not produce its usual effect on him." Pushkin. “Everyone approached the door of the office ... ... Dictionary Ushakov

In total, 23 species of hedgehogs live in the world. The hedgehog is widely distributed throughout the territory the globe, Besides South America, Australia, Madagascar and Antarctica. On the territory of Russia, he lives almost everywhere.

Hedgehogs settle under the roots of trees, in abandoned rodent burrows, in thickets of thorny bushes, under snags, in heaps of brushwood. They lead a solitary lifestyle, have and protect their individual feeding areas. On the territory of the site, hedgehogs build several nests, which are lined inside with leaves, dry grass, and moss.

During the day, hedgehogs sleep in a shelter, curled up in a ball, at dusk and hunt at night. Omnivorous. They feed mainly on insect larvae, beetles, slugs, earthworms, sometimes they attack amphibians, reptiles and reptiles, eat the eggs of birds nesting on the ground. For eggs, hedgehogs sometimes even climb into the chicken coop. However, this rarely happens. Animals and plant foods are consumed - mushrooms, berries, fruits, acorns, roots. However, contrary to the opinion formed under the influence of folk tales, fruits and mushrooms on needles they do not wear.

For the period of winter cold (from late September - early October to April, when the temperature exceeds + 15 ° C), hedgehogs hibernate. At this time, their heart rate and respiratory activity are significantly reduced. Nevertheless, if the animal has not managed to accumulate a sufficient fat reserve in the summer, it is threatened with starvation during hibernation. In particularly unfavorable years, up to 40% of adult animals and up to 85% of young animals die during hibernation. In nature, the life expectancy of hedgehogs is from 2 to 7 years, in captivity - up to 15.

Animal lovers willingly keep in, because it's not difficult. In captivity, they willingly eat meat, bread, eggs, milk, oatmeal and even cat food. However, milk is unhealthy for cats because they are naturally lactose intolerant, and cat food is too high in fat and low in protein. Also, hedgehogs love ice cream.

Enemies of spiny animals

Hedgehogs have a wonderful defense mechanism. In case of danger, the animal curls up into a ball and exposes its sharp spines. Nevertheless, some predators have learned to cope with hedgehog protection. Foxes, wolves, ferrets, badgers prey on hedgehogs. The animals swim well, but they do not like water too much. It is said that some predators push the curled up into the water, and when it turns to swim, they grab it.

And large birds of prey, such as owls and, are not afraid of needles at all. They hunt at night, at the same time as hedgehogs. Owls and eagle owls have long fingers and claws and tough skin on their paws. So birds of prey are very dangerous.

And forest animals suffer from human activities. More and more roads are being laid, and the number of vehicles is increasing. Hedgehogs are not at all afraid of cars, but they are afraid to walk on asphalt. And everything would be fine, but the brave forest animals sometimes still dare to run across the road. And it doesn't always end well.

A hedgehog is an animal that belongs to the type of chordates, the class mammals, the order of the hedgehogs, the family of the hedgehogs (lat. Erinaceidae).

The origin of the Russian word "hedgehog" has not yet been finally studied. According to one version, the hedgehog got its name from the Greek "echinos", which means "snake eater". Proponents of another version see the Indo-European root “eg`h” in the word “hedgehog”, meaning “to prick”.

  • Dahurian hedgehog(lat. Mesechinus dauuricus)

belongs to the genus steppe hedgehogs and differs from most relatives in the absence of a strip of bare skin that separates the needles of the head into a parting. The spines of the hedgehog are short, sandy or brown in color, the fur is coarse, painted in gray or dark brown.

This species of hedgehogs is a typical inhabitant of forest-steppes and steppe massifs from Transbaikalia to Mongolia and northern China. Hedgehogs feed on beetles small mammals(, pikas), chicks and eggs of birds, berries of cotoneaster and wild rose.

  • Ordinary hymnura(lat. Echinosorex gymnura)

belongs to the subfamily rat hedgehogs. Gymnura grows in length from 26 to 45 cm with a body weight of 500 g to 2 kg. The tail of the hedgehog, covered with sparse hairs and scales, reaches 17-30 cm in length, and its back is colored in White color. The back and sides are black, the hedgehog's head and neck are white.

Gymnura inhabits wet rainforests southeast Asia from Malacca to Borneo. It feeds on invertebrates and small vertebrates, crustaceans, frogs, toads, fish, fruits.

  • Small hymnura (lat. Hylomys suillus)

The smallest in the family. The length of her body does not exceed 10-14 cm. The tail reaches 2.5 cm. The weight of the animal is 45-80 grams.

The animal lives in mountainous areas and on hills in countries South-East Asia(Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China). Lesser gymnurs eat insects and worms.