Indian hedgehog

For The Protein, see Indian Hedgehog (protein).
Indian Hedgehog[1]
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Erinaceomorpha
Family: Erinaceidae
Genus: Paraechinus
Species: P. micropus
Binomial name
Paraechinus micropus
(Blyth, 1846)
Indian Hedgehog range

The Indian Hedgehog (Paraechinus micropus) is a species of hedgehogs native to India and Pakistan. The Indian Hedgehog is known for its masked face, somewhat similar to a raccoon. It tends to live on plains and in bushy mountainous areas near water.

The Indian Hedgehog is relatively small (~200-350 grams, ~15 centimetres) and quite fast, although not as fast as the Long-eared Hedgehog. It also has a more diverse diet with additional food source of frogs, toads, snakes and scorpions. Although it is capable of digging dens, it is highly unlikely to do so. Although the Indian Hedgehog doesn't hibernate, it is still capable of slowing down its metabolism when food is scarce.

References

  1. ^ Hutterer, Rainer (16 November 2005). Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M.. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). pp. 217. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 
  2. ^ Insectivore Specialist Group (1996). Hemiechinus micropus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern