There are whole legends about the life of hedgehogs. For example, it is believed that the hedgehog is an excellent rodent catcher, but this is not entirely true. In captivity, he, of course, can hunt mice, but it will not be so easy for him to catch a dexterous and agile rodent. That is why the main food of hedgehogs is insects and snakes.
What do hedgehogs look like?
Outwardly, these animals resemble small lumps covered with short and dark needles. The average length of such needles reaches 3 cm. Scientists have calculated that the number of needles in adults can reach 6,000, and in young hedgehogs - up to 3,000. Their muzzles are elongated and sharp, and their ears are round and hidden in the fur. The length of a hedgehog's body can reach 30 cm, and its average weight is 800 g. These animals have rather sharp claws and teeth: there are 20 small teeth on the upper jaw, and 16 on the lower.
From the life of hedgehogs
Hedgehogs live, as a rule, in not too dense forests, in copses, in shelter belts, in ravines overgrown with bushes, etc. They can be found both in Europe and in Asia Minor. Sometimes you can find these thorny creatures in New Zealand. Scientists claim that not so long ago they generally inhabited North America. In Russia, you can find 4 types of hedgehogs: common, dark-spined, Daurian and eared. The most common species is, of course, the common hedgehog.
Zoologists attribute hedgehogs to the order of insectivores, since the main food of these animals is various small insects. Moreover, without any exaggeration, hedgehogs can be called real orderlies of forests and vegetable gardens! The fact is that they eat a huge amount of certain insects and molluscs (slugs, snails) harmful to gardens and forests. By the way, the destruction of forest nests with a brood of rodents that harm forestry and, of course, agriculture, can also be recorded in favor of these animals.
The life of hedgehogs completely depends on certain climatic and natural conditions: they avoid damp places, and on rainy days they generally prefer to sit in their "houses". For shelter, these creatures use ground nests, which they build from forest vegetation, or use holes once abandoned by rodents. The hedgehog is one of the few wild living creatures capable of allowing a person to come close to him. And this is not because hedgehogs are brave creatures. The fact is that these thorny pranksters have mediocre eyesight and rely on their sense of smell, which often fails them: if the wind blows in the direction opposite to the hedgehog, then the animal does not feel a person approaching it at all.
Hedgehogs never run away from danger. They have a completely different method of protection: when they sense that something is amiss, they immediately curl up into a prickly ball, exposing sharp needles outside. It is curious that the hedgehogs would not have escaped anyway: their legs are too short, and they themselves are clumsy creatures. But it is worth giving them their due in another field: hedgehogs very deftly hunt insects and snakes. With rodents, the situation is worse: dodgy forest mice and voles are clever creatures that are simply not given. You still need to try to catch them! By the way, hedgehogs are nocturnal inhabitants, during the day these thorny creatures mainly sleep in the dreams of babies.
