Brandt's hedgehog
| Brandt's Hedgehog[1] | |
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| A Brandt's Hedgehog from Rajasthan, India | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Erinaceomorpha |
| Family: | Erinaceidae |
| Genus: | Paraechinus |
| Species: | P. hypomelas |
| Binomial name | |
| Paraechinus hypomelas (Brandt, 1836) |
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| Brandt's Hedgehog range | |
Brandt's Hedgehog (Paraechinus hypomelas) is a species of desert hedgehog native to the Middle East and Middle Asia. Brandt's Hedgehog is approximately the size of the West European Hedgehog (about 500–1,000 g in weight and 25 cm in length), but has distinctively large ears similar to the Long-eared Hedgehog and is a much faster runner due to lighter (but still superior to the Long-eared Hedgehog) needle protection. It is a fast runner, but, unlike the Long-eared Hedgehog, predominantely nocturnal and uses cuddling tactic more often, although still employing "jumping" attack.
Brandt's Hedgehog prefers arid desert areas and mountains. It uses natural shelter a lot, although it is still capable of digging dens when absolutely needed. It hibernates during colder weather.
It is named after (and by) Johann Friedrich von Brandt, a director of the Zoological Department at the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
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With paws exposed
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Showing his face
[edit] References
- ^ Hutterer, Rainer (16 November 2005). Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M.. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). pp. 217. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ^ Insectivore Specialist Group (1996). Hemiechinus hypomelas. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 2006-05-12. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
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