Mammals of the WorldBare-bellied Hedgehog
Paraechinus nudiventris
- Order
- Eulipotyphla
- Family
- Erinaceidae
- Genus
- Paraechinus
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- India
- Realm
- Palearctic
Other names: Madras Hedgehog
About this species
- Size
- Head and body 14–25cm; tail 1–3cm
- Weight
- 310–435g
- Habitat
- Dry arid regions and scrubby jungle
- Range
- Endemic to south-eastern India; also recorded in Kottayam and Palakkad districts of Kerala
- Litter size
- 4–6 young
The bare-bellied hedgehog, also called the Madras hedgehog, is endemic to dry arid regions and scrubby jungle in south-eastern India, and has also been found in Kottayam and Palakkad districts of Kerala. Head and body length is 14–25 cm, the tail only 1–3 cm, and weight 310–435 g (Wikipedia, general species account).
It reaches sexual maturity in about ten months and gives birth to four to six young per litter. Hedgehogs are protected under Schedule IV of India's Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, but the Madras hedgehog is hunted locally for food and for medicine, and is widely believed to cure tuberculosis, asthma and coughs (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)