Erinaceus europaeus Linnaeus 1758
1. West European Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus French: Hérisson commun / German: Braunbrustigel / Spanish: Erizo europeo Other common names: Brown-breasted Hedgehog, Common Hedgehog, European Hedgehog, Northern Hedgehog Taxonomy. Erinaceus europaeus Linnaeus, 1758, “Europa.” Restricted by O. Thomas i...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
| Language: | unknown |
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Lynx Edicions
2018
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| Online Access: | https://zenodo.org/record/6632523 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6632523 |
| Summary: | 1. West European Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus French: Hérisson commun / German: Braunbrustigel / Spanish: Erizo europeo Other common names: Brown-breasted Hedgehog, Common Hedgehog, European Hedgehog, Northern Hedgehog Taxonomy. Erinaceus europaeus Linnaeus, 1758, “Europa.” Restricted by O. Thomas in 1911 to “Wamlingbo, S. Gothland Id.,” Sweden. Erinaceus europaeus is sympatric with FE. roumanicus in central Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Balkan Peninsula. Monotypic. Distribution. W Europe, from British Is and Iberian Peninsula E to Fennoscandia and N & C European Russia, also on Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and many smaller islands. Introduced into New Zealand during second halfofthe 19" century and recently into Azores. Descriptive notes. Head-body 209-245 mm, tail 24-32 mm, ear 27-28 mm, hindfoot 43-50 mm; weight 526-556 g (some individuals weigh up to 1-2 kg). The West European Hedgehog has well-developed hallux on hindfeet, short tail, and relatively short ears. Pelage, except non-spiny hairs on face, legs, and underparts, has dense smooth spines, lacking papillae, banded yellow and brown, and with pale tips. As on other species of Erinaceus, the West European Hedgehog has narrow spine-free parting on crown ofhead. It can be distinguished from the Southern White-breasted Hedgehog (E. concolor) by absence of white breast patch. In southern Spain, the West European Hedgehog is pale, with many entirely white spines, and can be distinguished from the similar North African Hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) by narrow spine-free parting on crown of head. Albinos are relatively common, leucistic individuals are rare, and melanistic individuals are very rare. Dental formulais 13/2, C1/1,P 3/2,M 3/3 (x2) = 36. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 48 and FN = 92. Habitat. Forests with ground vegetation and adequate food and grasslands especially adjacent to deciduous woodlands, hedgerows, or scrublands. In the Alps, the West European Hedgehog occurs up to elevations of 2000 m but does not live above tree ... |
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