Post #14053

4 features of a hedgehog Hedgehogs are weird. And not so much because of its appearance, but because of the changes that the prickly skin brings to their way of life. The Book of Animals is with you, and today we will tell you about 4 strange features of hedgehogs that arose thanks to their decision to be covered in spikes from their heads to their hind legs! 1. The hedgehog is the most reliable tick collector for scientists It’s worth starting with the fact that a back covered with needles is very impractical from a hygiene point of view. Hard, long needles interfere not only with predators, but also with their owners. The entire back of the animal is essentially a rough brush that collects dirt, debris and, of course, parasites from the grass. She collects so many of the latter that it’s even scary. In 2017, researchers from the Stavropol Territory calculated that the average long-eared hedgehog carries 23 ticks, and the southern one carries 3 times more. And the record holder actually carried 427 ticks! And this despite the fact that the weight of hedgehogs does not even reach a kilogram. 2. The hedgehog is protected from animals hundreds of times larger than itself Constant problems with ticks cause hedgehogs a lot of inconvenience, but the game is worth the candle. After all, a hedgehog is better protected from predators than any other animal of similar size. Yes, bears or wolves can easily flatten a hedgehog into a cake, but they don’t do it. Who would like to eat meat mixed with needles? But for most smaller predators, the fence of hedgehog needles is an almost insurmountable obstacle - if the animal manages to curl up into a ball, of course. The transition from normal mode to defensive mode takes less than a second for a hedgehog. The skin on its back is very mobile and easily stretches, and along the perimeter of the spiny zone there is a special circular muscle. As soon as the hedgehog gets scared, this muscle automatically contracts, pulling the prickly part of the skin onto its soft, vulnerable belly. All that remains for him is to tuck his paws and press his head to his body. But, unfortunately for hedgehogs, their protection cannot be called absolute. For every hedgehog there is a badger or eagle owl with powerful long claws that can be used to open the hedgehog. Or a cunning fox, kicking a spherical bunch of needles towards a stream, in which it will be forced to turn around. 3. A hedgehog cannot be stopped even with poison In addition, needles are useless against snakes; scaly skin reliably protects them from injections. Poisonous snakes always find a place to bite a hedgehog and inject a portion of poison into it. But even here the hedgehogs were prepared: the poisoned hedgehog does not die in terrible agony, but simply experiences several unpleasant minutes, after which it comes to its senses and continues to run about its business. After all, his blood contains erinacin - a special protein that binds he