Interesting facts about hedgehogs

What do we know about hedgehogs? Did you know, for example, that hedgehogs can run at a speed of 3 meters per second, during hibernation their body temperature drops to 1.8 ° C, and the number of needles reaches 6 thousand? Having studied the most interesting facts about hedgehogs, you can surprise others with your knowledge. For some reason, everyone likes hedgehogs.

Sometimes hedgehogs roll on fallen fruits, especially apples. They don't do it in order to prick an apple on the spines and carry it into their hole - crushed fruits secrete juice, which contains weak acid. This acid helps them get rid of parasites that have settled between the needles.

These animals may seem clumsy and awkward, but this is not entirely true. If necessary, they can reach speeds of up to 3 meters per second.

In total, there are 24 species of hedgehogs in the world. Some of them are similar to each other so that only an experienced zoologist can distinguish them, while others look more like rats.

Contrary to popular belief, hedgehogs do not eat mushrooms and berries. More precisely, they do eat them from time to time, but in fact they are omnivorous predators. However, insects form the basis of the diet of most of their species.

Sometimes hedgehogs prey on snakes, including poisonous ones, such as vipers. Their spines-covered body is virtually invulnerable to snake bites.

It may seem that hedgehogs have few teeth. In fact, they have as many as 36 teeth - more than humans! Moreover, there are 20 teeth on the upper jaw and 16 on the lower.

Sometimes hedgehogs are kept as pets, but for this they are bred in nurseries, and not trying to tame wild hedgehogs.

Despite the fact that these animals are wary of people, in recent years, scientists have noticed that they are actively moving to cities. This is probably due to the fact that owls and badgers, which successfully hunt hedgehogs, are not found in cities.

The hedgehogs have a tail, however, it is not easy to see it. It is just very short, usually 1 to 5 cm long, depending on the particular species and individual.

It is very difficult to see hedgehogs during the day, as they are nocturnal animals. Their active phase comes in the evening, when twilight is gathering, and by dawn they usually hide in burrows.

Some people who occasionally have hedgehogs in their garden like to feed them. This is good, but you can’t give them milk and dairy products! Despite the fact that hedgehogs love milk, lactose is not digested in their bodies.

Hedgehogs lead a territorial way of life, and they usually meet with relatives only during the breeding season. Adult males can sometimes control territory up to 40 hectares.

The heart of hedgehogs beats about three times faster than the human heart; it makes about 180 contractions per minute. But in winter, when the animal hibernates, its biorhythms slow down, and the heart begins to beat more slowly, making from 20 to 60 beats per minute. The colder it is, the deeper the hibernation will be.

In autumn, when it is already cold, various reptiles like lizards are already hibernating, but hedgehogs are already awake at this time. They often look for sleeping reptiles because they are easy prey.

Teeth fall out with age not only in humans, but also in other animals, including hedgehogs. They have a harder time than a man - a toothless hedgehog is doomed to starvation.

Some poisons that are deadly to humans are completely safe for these animals. For example, arsenic and hydrocyanic acid in doses that are lethal to us are not dangerous for them.

Newborn hedgehogs do not stay with their parents for long. They mature quickly and leave the parental nest within 4-5 weeks after birth.

Hedgehogs are born almost naked, with soft rudiments of prickles. But these spikes quickly begin to grow and harden, turning into a reliable means of protection.

In some countries, hedgehogs are eaten willingly. It is known that they were eaten in ancient Rome; they were baking whole carcasses, right with prickles, having previously smeared them in clay. After baking in this way, the prickles remained in the clay, and the meat could be eaten safely.

With the onset of cold weather, hedgehogs become sleepy and lethargic. The critical temperature for them is 6 °C. When it gets cold, they begin to fall asleep, and if the animal does not have time to get to its hole, it can fall asleep outside, and die eventually.

In hibernation, the body of this animal is cooled almost to zero, but this does not cause him any harm. In hibernation, the body temperature of a hedgehog is about 1.8 °C.

The nose of these animals is constantly wet. If it feels dry and hot when touched, this means the animal has some kind of health problem.

The basis of hedgehog prickles is keratin. It is the same substance that makes up hair, fur, and human nails. The prickles are actually modified hairs.

The hedgehog prickles are hollow inside, they are filled with air. If the animal has to swim, the needles act as floats, helping it stay on the surface of the water.

The number of prickles on the body of these animals directly depends on their age. In young individuals, there are about 3 thousand of them, and in older ones - up to 5-6 thousand.

McDonalds downsized their McFlurry ice cream cups in 2006 because of the hedgehogs. The former diameter of the cup was large enough for the hedgehog to stick its head into it, but after that it often got stuck in it, which led to death. And hedgehogs really like ice cream, and they can smell a cup with a half-eaten delicacy from afar.

In ancient Rome, hedgehog skins were used to comb sheep's wool. It was a sought-after product, and they even managed to fake it, as evidenced by historical documents.