Mammals of the WorldIndian Hedgehog
Paraechinus micropus
- Order
- Eulipotyphla
- Family
- Erinaceidae
- Genus
- Paraechinus
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Pakistan|India
- Realm
- Palearctic
Other names: Indian Desert Hedgehog|Pale Hedgehog
About this species
- Size
- Tail only 2–4cm
- Diet
- Insects (preferably beetles), worms, slugs, frogs, toads, bird eggs, snakes and scorpions
- Habitat
- Mainly sandy desert, in vacant burrows; other environments too
- Range
- India and Pakistan
The Indian hedgehog is a stocky animal with a short head, a long snout, small dark eyes and relatively large ears. It is predominantly brown with a few lighter shades, with a masked face, dark with a white top, and grey-brown legs with five toes bearing small, strong claws. The tail is only 2–4 cm long. It is native to India and Pakistan (Wikipedia, general species account).
It mainly lives in sandy desert areas but can be found in other environments. It digs burrows about 45 cm long and also uses any vacant open burrow. It has a very varied diet, taking insects, preferably beetles, worms, slugs, frogs, toads, bird eggs, snakes and scorpions. Like all hedgehogs it self-anoints, and males and females meet only to breed (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)