North African hedgehog | |
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A North African hedgehog in the Balearic Islands | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Eulipotyphla |
Family: | Erinaceidae |
Genus: | Atelerix |
Species: | A. algirus [2] |
Binomial name | |
Atelerix algirus [2] (Lereboullet, 1842) | |
North African hedgehog range |
The North African hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) or Algerian hedgehog, is a mammal species in the family Erinaceidae native to Algeria, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia. Little is known about this hedgehog, even though the most common breed of domesticated hedgehogs is a result of crossing a four-toed hedgehog with a North African hedgehog. Because this species of hedgehog is native to Africa, it has been suggested that it was introduced by humans to the other countries where it is now found, including Spain and the Canary Islands. Of the four African hedgehog species, the North African hedgehog is the only one of these hedgehogs that occurs outside Africa. [3] Because the North African hedgehog has such a wide habitat range and has a seemingly stable population, both in the wild and in the domesticated capacity, it does not appear to currently be at risk.[ citation needed ]
The North African hedgehog closely resembles the European hedgehog but there are several distinct differences between the two species. The North African hedgehog tends to be smaller than its European counterpart, measuring between 20 and 25 cm (7.9 and 9.8 in) long [1] and weighing up to 650 grams. [4] However, it is larger than the other African species of hedgehogs and has a longer snout and longer legs, making it a faster runner. Its face is light in colour, usually appearing to be white, and the legs and head are brown. The underbelly of this animal can vary in colour and is often either brown or white. Its ears are highly visible on the head of the animal and are large. The body is covered in soft spines, which are mostly white with darker banding. [5] It is most distinguishable from physically similar relatives by the lack of spines on the crown of the head, meaning a lack of the widow's peak. [6]
The species is commonly infested by the hedgehog flea, Archaeopsylla erinacei maura. [7]
Very little is actually known about the preferred habitat of the North African hedgehog. It has been found in Mediterranean conifer and mixed forest climates as are present in southern mountainous regions of Spain and northern Africa. [1] In northern Africa, it can be found from Morocco to Libya, but is not able to survive in dry desert regions around this area. It can be found in other warmer regions as well, including the Canary Islands, and the Balearics. Within these regions, it can often be spotted in garden and park areas. It is extirpated from France. [5]
The gestation period of the North African hedgehog ranges from 30 to 40 days, and the litter size is between three and 10 hoglets. Two litters are often born in a season October to March. The hoglets are born with hairless, pinkish skin as well as small, soft spines, which are later shed once the hedgehog acquires its harder, stiffer set of quills at around four weeks of age; [4] and generally weigh between 12 and 20 grams. [5] This species reaches sexual maturity at eight to ten weeks of age and does not mate for life, that is this hedgehog does not participate in pair bonding. [8] The North African hedgehog is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Moniliformis aegyptiacus . [9]
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia and no living species native to the Americas. However, the extinct genus Amphechinus was once present in North America.
The Etruscan shrew, also known as the Etruscan pygmy shrew, white-toothed pygmy shrew and Savi’s pygmy shrew, is the smallest known extant mammal by mass, weighing only about 1.8 g (0.063 oz) on average.
Erinaceidae is a family in the order Eulipotyphla, consisting of the hedgehogs and moonrats. Until recently, it was assigned to the order Erinaceomorpha, which has been subsumed with the paraphyletic Soricomorpha into Eulipotyphla. Eulipotyphla has been shown to be monophyletic; Soricomorpha is paraphyletic because both Soricidae and Talpidae share a more recent common ancestor with Erinaceidae than with solenodons.
The most common species of domesticated hedgehog is the four-toed hedgehog. The Algerian hedgehog is a separate species of hedgehog.
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The Indian long-eared hedgehog is a small species of mammal native to northern India and Pakistan. It is insectivorous and nocturnal.
The four-toed hedgehog, also known as the African pygmy hedgehog, is a species of hedgehog found throughout much of central and eastern Africa.
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The hero shrew, also known as the armored shrew, is a large shrew native to the Congo Basin of Africa. Its features are typical of a white-toothed shrew − short legs, slender snout, dense fur − except for a highly unusual spinal column. It has corrugated interlocking vertebrae that are unique among mammals except for its sister species, Thor's hero shrew. This unique adaptation allows the animal to bear a huge amount of weight on its back − 72 kg (159 lb) according to an expedition team.
The North African elephant shrew or North African sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, and is the only extant afrotherian within its range. The species was formerly classified in the genus Elephantulus, but molecular evidence indicates that it is more closely related to Petrodromus than to other members of Elephantulus. It was moved to a new genus, Petrosaltator, in 2016. The split with Petrodromus likely occurred during the Miocene period.
The Southern African hedgehog is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
The desert hedgehog is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae.