Brandt's Hedgehog[1] | |
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A Brandt's Hedgehog from Rajasthan, India | |
Conservation status | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Erinaceomorpha |
Family: | Erinaceidae |
Genus: | Paraechinus |
Species: | P. hypomelas |
Binomial name | |
Paraechinus hypomelas (Brandt, 1836) |
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Brandt's Hedgehog range |
Brandt's Hedgehog (Paraechinus hypomelas) is a species of desert hedgehog native to the Middle East and Middle Asia. Brandt's Hedgehog is approximately the size of the West European Hedgehog (about 500–1,000 g in weight and 25 cm in length), but has distinctively large ears similar to the Long-eared Hedgehog and is a much faster runner due to lighter (but still superior to the Long-eared Hedgehog) needle protection. It is a fast runner, but, unlike the Long-eared Hedgehog, predominantely nocturnal and uses cuddling tactic more often, although still employing "jumping" attack.
Brandt's Hedgehog prefers arid desert areas and mountains. It uses natural shelter a lot, although it is still capable of digging dens when absolutely needed. It hibernates during colder weather.
It is named after (and by) Johann Friedrich von Brandt, a director of the Zoological Department at the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
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