Hedgehogs & Porcupines
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A hedgehog's heart beats 190 times a minute on average and drops to only 20 beats per minute during hibernation.
There are about 14 species of hedgehogs. There are 4 main groups:
1)European Hedgehog ;
2) African white-bellied Hedgehog;
3) Desert Hedgehog;
4) Long-eared Hedgehog.
Telling the species apart is not easy. Scientist classify them as:
Class: Mammalian
Order: Insectivore
There are 2 large muscles on either side of a hedgehog's back to raise and lower its quills and curl into a ball. This is a hedgehog's only defense.
Housing Hedgehogs - Choosing a Cage
There are few cages made specifically for pet hedgehogs, so owners usually improvise with other options. There are pros and cons to each kind of cage, whether it be a wire cage, aquarium, modified plastic storage bin, or other cage. Things to consider when choosing a hedgehog cage are discussed in Hedgehog Housing, as well as some of the pros and cons of different cage types.
Hedgehogs are easily recognized by their spines, which are hollow hairs made stiff with keratin. Their spines are not poisonous or barbed and, unlike the quills of a porcupine, cannot easily be removed from the hedgehog. However, spines normally come out when a hedgehog sheds baby spines and replaces them with adult spines. This is called "quilling". When under extreme stress or during sickness, a hedgehog can also lose spines.
All porcupines can float in water.
An adult porcupine has approximately 30,000 quills on its body, which are replaced every year.
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"The fox has many tricks. The hedgehog has but one. But that is the best of all."
- Desiderius Erasmus
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The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.
~Robert Brault
Because porcupines have hollow quills, they are great swimmers.
Porcupines are herbivores; that means that they eat plants. In fact, porcupines eat a variety trees, shrubs and other plants. In the winter they will eat the inner bark of trees. Their favorites are hemlock.
The porcupine is Africa’s largest rodent. It is believed that they are capable of “shooting” their quills, but this is not the case. When the porcupine sees predators such as lion, leopard or hyena it will often “freeze”, in the hope that it won’t be noticed. If confronted, it turns its back towards the predator, often running backwards resulting in a face pierced and filled with quills
When threatened, the porcupine wags its tail to produce a rattling noise, simultaneously raising the sharp 40cm/16 inch-long quills on its back and sides.
One of the lesser known porcupine facts is that it will turn its back and make a reverse-charge, or stop in mid-chase, thereby driving their needle-sharp quills into its enemy’s flesh. It doesn't "shoot" the quills as many believe.
