Four-toed Hedgehog[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Erinaceomorpha Family: Erinaceidae Genus: Atelerix Species: A. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Least Concern ( LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Erinaceidae is the only living family in the order of the Erinaceomorpha. Erinaceidae is the only living family in the order of the Erinaceomorpha. UserPolbot. --> Atelerix is a genus of Mammal in the Erinaceidae family albiventris
Binomial name
Atelerix albiventris (Wagner, 1841)

The Four-toed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris), or African Pygmy Hedgehog, is a small species of hedgehog found throughout much of the south-Saharan African countries, from Senegal and Mauritania in the west, to Sudan in the east, and it has been recorded as far south as Zambia. Johann Andreas Wagner (1797 &ndash 1861 was a German Palaeontologist, Zoologist and Archaeologist. A hedgehog is any of the small spiny Mammals of the Subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest Senegal (le Sénégal officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the Sénégal River in western Africa. Mauritania (موريتانيا Mūrītāniyā officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. The Republic of Zambia (ˈzæmbɪə is a Landlocked country in Southern Africa. Populations tend to be scattered between suitable savannah or cropland habitats, avoiding forested areas. The species common name is derived from the number of toes found on it rear feet. Due to its extensive range and stable wild population, the species holds no particular conservation status.

Contents 1 Physical description 2 Behaviour 3 Reproduction 4 In captivity 5 References 6 External links

Physical description

The Four-toed Hedgehog is an oval bodied animal between 15 and 25cm in length and weighing between 350 and 700 grams. Females are typically larger than males. It has short legs, a long nose, and small beady eyes. It can vary greatly in coloration, but typical wild specimens have brown or grey spines with white or cream colored tips. It has soft fur on its underbelly and its face. Its face usually exhibits a darker coloration, grey or black, or is the same color as its underside, which is typically white.

Behaviour

The Four-toed Hedgehog is a solitary, nocturnal animal. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal It is highly energetic, sometimes covering miles of ground in a single night as it forages for insects, grubs, snails, spiders, some plant matter, and even small vertebrates. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described The word snail is a Common name that can be used for almost all members of the Molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in the Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes It has a high tolerance for toxins and has been recorded consuming scorpions and even venomous snakes. Scorpions are eight-legged Carnivorous Arthropods They are members of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. This article is about the class of Biotoxins For other uses see Venom (disambiguation and Venomous (disambiguation. A snake is an elongate Reptile of the suborder Serpentes Like all reptiles snakes are covered in scales. When encountering a predator, its standard defensive reaction is to tense up all the muscles on its back to cause its spines to stand erect, and then roll into a ball protecting its limbs and head. If it is harassed further, it will twitch in an attempt to jab spines into the predator and make snuffling/grunting noises. Its spines are not released into the skin of an attacker, as those of a porcupine. Porcupines are Rodents with a coat of sharp spines or quills that defend them from predators In fact, hedgehogs don't lose quills during adulthood except for very rarely; heavy quill loss is usually a warning sign as to the animal's health.

When the Four-toed Hedgehog is introduced to a new or particularly strong smell, it will sometimes do what is referred to as self-anointing. It creates a frothy saliva and spreads it onto its quills in incredible amounts. It is not really understood why it does this, but it is thought to be a defensive action, as hedgehogs have been known to self-anoint with poisonous toads.

This species tends to prefer temperatures between 24 and 30 °C. When it is hotter than that, it tends to find shelter in a burrow and go into a state of estivation, or when it is colder it goes into a state of hibernation in order to conserve energy. Estivation or aestivation (from Latin aestas, summer also known as "summer sleep" is a state of Dormancy somewhat similar For the ability of certain operating systems see Hibernate (OS feature Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression

Reproduction

Female Four-toed Hedgehogs do not go into estrus at any particular time of year, they will ovulate when the conditions are right and there is a male present — which is typically during the rainy season when food is abundant. Oestrus is also the biological genus name of the gadfly. The estrous cycle (also oestrous cycle; derived from Latin Males approach the female and court her with high pitched vocalizations. Gestation lasts approximately 35 days. Gestation is the carrying of an Embryo or Fetus inside a Female Viviparous Animal. The young are born covered in a thin membrane to protect the mother from their already present spines, though it takes them some time to gain control over the muscles that move them. Litter size is usually around 3 or 4, but they are capable of having upwards of 8 at a time. The babies are weaned by 6 weeks and leave the mother not long after, becoming sexually mature at 2-3 months of age. Females generally have 1-2 litters per year.

In captivity

The Four-toed Hedgehog is one of the most popular species of domesticated hedgehog sold in the exotic pet trade. The most common species of domesticated Hedgehog is the African Pygmy hedgehog, a hybrid of the White-bellied or Four-toed Hedgehog ( Atelerix It is bred extensively for color and temperament and is even displayed in competitive hedgehog shows. Lifespan is typically 4-6 years. Due to its energetic nature, many owners provide their hedgehog with a large running wheel. Some measure the distances their pets run every night, and some have claimed that their hedgehogs run upwards of 8 km a night with speed bursts in excess of 16 km/h. When kept in captivity, at more regulated temperatures, this species does not typically display its estivation or hibernation behaviour. Estivation or aestivation (from Latin aestas, summer also known as "summer sleep" is a state of Dormancy somewhat similar For the ability of certain operating systems see Hibernate (OS feature Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression Due to the large amount of breeding stock available in captive collections, the Four-toed Hedgehog is rarely imported from the wild any longer. Several US and Canadian localities ban ownership of this species, or require special permits for them. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Hedgehogs are generally hardy animals when kept properly, though they may be vulnerable to the growth of tumors as they mature.

References

External links

• Carolina Hedgehog Society

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