Hedgehog - Erinaceus

Eurasian Hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor).

In Kyrgyzstan, there lives the Eurasian hedgehog, which is twice lighter than the common hedgehog. While the latter can weigh up to a kilogram, the former rarely exceeds 400 grams, although its body length is only slightly shorter. It is also distinguished by its long ears. If they are bent forward, they reach the base of the snout. The animal can fold them back.

It is a true southerner, loving warm, sunlit habitats, and does not shy away from open areas. Nevertheless, it prefers shrubby or overgrown areas without dense grass and moisture. Such conditions are often found along canal banks, in old gardens, and on the outskirts of fields and settlements. Therefore, the development of cultural landscapes has generally benefited it. It has also proven to be quite useful in fields, gardens, and orchards. Its sharp teeth grind an enormous mass of plant pests—up to a third of its body weight in a day. With such voracity, the hedgehog cannot tolerate competitors nearby, and thus spends almost its entire life in solitude, settling like a hermit far from neighbors. The main diet of the Eurasian hedgehog consists of insects, especially beetles (such as click beetles, cockchafers, etc.) and ants. Occasionally, it feeds on toads and lizards. It consumes insects weighing up to a third of its body weight in a day. In search of food (during summer), the Eurasian hedgehog usually emerges late in the evening. It runs noticeably faster than the common hedgehog.

Hedgehogs breed only once a year. Breeding begins from late March to early April, after emerging from hibernation, producing 3 to 9 young, which are born covered with soft, whitish bristles.

Very soon, the bristles turn into spines, and the young hedgehogs start to follow their mother everywhere. A family of prickly balls looks quite amusing as they march with a businesslike demeanor under the cover of shrubs.

Hedgehogs live up to 7-8 years, but more than half of them perish in the first year of life, and barely a fifth survive to five years.

They enter hibernation closer to the end of November. Hedgehogs live up to 7-8 years.

The Eurasian hedgehog is a resident of the foothill plains and ascends into the mountains no higher than 1600 m in the western part of the Issyk-Kul Basin. It is also found in the Chon-Kemin, Chui, and Talas valleys, as well as in the lowlands of southern Kyrgyzstan. It has not penetrated into high valleys and the Inner Tien Shan, although in other places it can live at altitudes of over 2000 meters.

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