| Southern African Hedgehog | |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Erinaceomorpha |
| Family: | Erinaceidae |
| Genus: | Atelerix |
| Species: | A. frontalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Atelerix frontalis A. Smith, 1831 |
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| Southern African Hedgehog range | |
The Southern African Hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis) is a species of mammal in the Erinaceidae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
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Their bodies are covered by sharp spines. The average mass of a fully grown male is 350g.
Their protective mechanism is to curl into a ball when threatened. This however is not always enough defence against the powerful claws and hard feet of predatory birds such as owls.
The gestation period is one month with a litter of between 1 and 9 newborns.
The Southern African Hedgehog is omnivorous. Its diet consists mainly of earthworms and insects.
Southern African Hedgehogs are nocturnal. Although these hedgehogs can be found in most environments they prefer grass and Bushveld that is not too damp, with a good covering of leaves and other debris. They will spend most of the day underneath this cover of leaves or under bushes and in holes; only coming out at night to feed. Sleeping places are changed daily with only some wintering and breeding nests being semi-permanent.
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