Mammals of the WorldAmur Hedgehog
Erinaceus amurensis
- Order
- Eulipotyphla
- Family
- Erinaceidae
- Genus
- Erinaceus
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Russia|China|North Korea|South Korea
- Realm
- Palearctic
Other names: Chinese Hedgehog|Manchurian Hedgehog
About this species
- Range
- Russian Far East, northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula
The Amur hedgehog, Erinaceus amurensis, is also known as the Manchurian hedgehog. It resembles the European hedgehog but is generally paler; its face and underparts carry pale hair, and narrow strips of bare skin separate the spines on the head. Leopold von Schrenck described the species in 1858. Several historical names, including forms described from Korea, are now treated as synonyms of this species (Wikipedia, general species account; Korean small-mammal review).
Its native range covers Amur Oblast and Primorye in Russia, northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula. A Korean taxonomic review reports that mitochondrial DNA comparisons confirmed Korean hedgehogs as E. amurensis rather than the European or southern white-breasted hedgehogs. The species relies strongly on smell and hearing while foraging and produces pig-like grunts. More specific Korean diet, hibernation and reproductive figures are omitted because the opened sources did not document them at species level (Wikipedia; Korean small-mammal review).
Description: Wildlife of Korea guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)