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 The
hedgehog is the only mammal with thorns that exists in Cyprus.
It is a very cute animal found in gardens, around fences and in
prairies.
It has been known for centuries and therefore it is
connected with many legends and proverbs.
Beetles,
larvae, worms, snails, eggs of small birds and snakes are its
food. The latter is its favourite food. It hunts it cleverly.
Once it sees the snake, it runs towards it and bites the snake's
tail. Then it immediately shrinks and becomes a thorny ball.
Then the snake attacks the hedgehog with its head to force it to
leave. Beating the thorns, however, is lethal for the
snake. It is wounded, and after a while it dies from bleeding.
The hedgehog then starts "unfolding" and eats the
snake. It is particularly strange how the hedgehog
"invites" many other hedgehogs to eat together. They
eat the snake apart from its head.
During winter-time, the hedgehog hibernates and feeds on the fat
that it had gained during summer. It starts giving birth in
April, as soon as it comes out of hibernation. Most of the young
hedgehogs are born in early summer. However, births take place
also during September, when the young ones of the first birt do
not survive. Young hedgehogs of the second birth rarely survive
in winter. When the mother is disturbed in her nest, she either
abandons her
young ones or eats them. However, if they are relatively old,
she carries them to a safer place, by biting them from the neck,
like the cats.
The young ones
start feeding on solid food when they are one month old. That is
the time when they follow their mother in search for food in the
night. The young ones abandon their mother and find their
own food once they become six weeks old. The male hedgehog does
not participate in raising the young ones. In fact, he avoids
living with them.
The female
hedgehog gives birth to three to five young ones, who are born
naked and pink. They are born in a nest in the form of a whole
in the ground made by the female hedgehog who uses tree-leaves
or dry grass for this purpose. Such holes can also be found on
the trees and under the rocks. The young ones are blind and
start to grow scarce, tender white thorns a few hours after
their birth. That is exactly the period when snakes wait for
their mother to leave the nest in search of food. Then they
enter the nest and swallow the young ones, their favourite food.
During the first two weeks of their lives, hedgehogs grown more
brown thorns between the white ones. When they are 5-6 weeks old
they have approximately 2,000 thorns on its back. When it
defends itself, it streches the thorns that reach 2.5 cm. The
thorns remain on the hedgehog's back for a year and then they
fall only to be replaced by new ones. The thorny back of the
hedgehog is always visible, while its head and belly are covered
with thing grey hairs.
Usually it
walks during the night. It has a sharp sense of smell which
helps it to find food. It measures 25 cm, and defends itself
against its enemies by streching its thorns while it shrinks,
transforming into a closed thorny ball which makes it difficult
for other animals to attack and kill it. It is believed that the
fox, known for being cunning, when coming across a hedgehog at a
swamp, pulls it carefully with her paw into water. As a
consequence, the hedgehog in its effor to survive -eventhough it
is a very good swimmer- unco-
vers its head. Then the fox kills and eats it.
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