| Desert Hedgehog | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Erinaceomorpha |
| Family: | Erinaceidae |
| Genus: | Paraechinus |
| Species: | P. aethiopicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Paraechinus aethiopicus (Ehrenberg, 1832) |
|
| Desert Hedgehog range | |
The desert hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus) is a species of mammal in the Erinaceidae family.
The desert hedgehog is one of the smallest of hedgehogs. It is 5.5 to 11 inches long and weighs about 10-18 ounces. The spines on its back can be banded with coloring similar to the four-toed hedgehog. If desert hedgehogs are threatened, their muscles go tight and pull the outer layer of skin around the body, making their spikes stick out in all directions. The spines tend to be longer than other hedgehogs for better protection against prey. As such it almost impossible to get to them.
It is found in the Sahara Desert, Algeria, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and possibly Ethiopia.
They eat insects, scorpions, spiders and snakes. Studies show that some hedgehogs have a high resistance to toxins.