Southern white-breasted hedgehog
| Southern white-breasted hedgehog[1] | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Erinaceidae |
| Genus: | Erinaceus |
| Species: | E. concolor
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| Binomial name | |
| Erinaceus concolor Martin, 1838
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| Range of the southern white-breasted hedgehog (red) | |
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The southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor), sometimes referred to as white-bellied hedgehog or white-chested hedgehog, is a hedgehog of Southwestern Asia. It is very similar in lifestyle and appearance to the European hedgehog, but the former has a white spot on its chest. For a long time these two species were considered to be one. The northern white-breasted hedgehog of Eastern Europe and Russia was formerly recognized as a subspecies of the southern white-breasted hedgehog but newer investigations see both as different species. The southern white-breasted hedgehog and European hedgehog can hybridize.
Unlike its European counterpart, the southern white-breasted hedgehog never digs dens. It prefers building grass nests in secluded places.
References
- ^ Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 213–214. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Insectivore Specialist Group (1996). "Erinaceus concolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996. Retrieved 2006-05-06.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
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