When it comes to hedgehogs, this is not a small creature to be messed with, and it looks a little intimidating with spines all over its body. However, in recent years, some people have bred it as a pet, which really makes people admire these hedgehog keepers. In ancient China, there has always been a taboo against hedgehogs, and there are still many places where there is still a saying that hedgehogs cannot be raised or harmed. Because it, like the weasel, is listed as an "immortal class" and is treated as a kind of "god". Encountering a hedgehog on the road, or a hedgehog coming to the door, means that a happy event is coming, so it must not be harmed. However, why have hedgehogs become so rare these days?Let's take a look at the ecology and changes of hedgehogs.
First, let's get to know the basics of a hedgehog. When I was a child, I saw a hedgehog in the mountains several times in a rural environment, and people also called it the "melon badger", because in the past, this small animal often visited the farmland and stole the melons and fruits grown by farmers. In different places, people also call it a thorn ball, a hedgehog, a burr, etc. Hedgehog is a general term for the mammals of the hedgehog subfamily Hedgehog, with 5 genera, of which the hedgehog of the genus Hedgehog is the most common one in China. The hedgehog is short in size and has a fat body covered with short, dense spikes that look like a large rat with spines. It has small eyes, small ears, short limbs but sharp claws, which help it burrow quickly. Hedgehogs have long snouts and tongues and are usually nocturnal. Although it moves slowly, its developed sense of smell helps it find food and likes to eat a variety of insects, worms, ants, and termites. In addition, the hedgehog is a parathermic and cannot self-regulate its body temperature, so it hibernates during the cold season and does not wake up until the temperature rises the following spring.
Although the hedgehog seems to be covered with spikes and majestic, it also has natural enemies, the biggest of which is the hedgehog itself. Since hedgehogs are withdrawn animals, they do not like to live in groups and are easily preyed upon by other animals. Carnivorous animals such as owls, martens, and foxes are the main predators of hedgehogs, especially owls, which are active at night and hunt by throwing hedgehogs down from a high altitude. In addition, the hedgehog is not very reproductive, only 1-2 litters per year, 3-6 litters per litter, and the little hedgehog lacks parental care after becoming independent, and the mortality rate is very high, about 90% of the baby hedgehogs cannot survive within a year. Therefore, it can be said that hedgehogs themselves are also one of their greatest natural enemies.
However, the reason for the decline in the number of hedgehogs in recent years is not only natural predators, but more importantly, changes in the environment. Although hedgehogs are very resistant to diseases, they are not resistant to pesticides. Pesticides widely used in modern agriculture pose a threat to hedgehogs. Hedgehogs often hide under leaves during activities, and in many places there is a Xi of burning fallen leaves, if hedgehogs are accidentally injured or burned, it brings great trouble to their survival. In addition, hedgehogs move slowly and are easily crushed to death by vehicles. This series of factors has led to a sharp decrease in the number of hedgehogs, which have become second-class protected animals in our country and are strictly forbidden to be raised.
Some people may wonder why people still keep hedgehogs as pets when the number of hedgehogs is decreasingIt should be noted that this is not a native hedgehog in China, but a pet hedgehog bred by European and American countries. This hedgehog has formed a mature industrial chain and is cultivated and sold in many countries. Therefore, people who have the conditions can buy breeding through formal channels, rather than catching them in the wild, so as not to pose a greater threat to the survival of wild hedgehogs.
Overall, the decrease in the number of hedgehogs is mainly due to environmental changes and the influence of human factors. As unique creatures in nature, we should take scientific measures to protect and breed hedgehogs and maintain ecological balance.