Monday 23 April 2007 Brandt's Hedgehog

Brandt's Hedgehog (Hemiechinus hypomelas) is a desert hedgehog that belongs to the Erinaceidae family and can be found in Middle Asia and the Middle East. It inhabits desert zones and arid steppes from Iran, Turkmenistan, and even farther eastwards to the region of Tashkent in Uzbekistan down to northern Pakistan and Indus River. It can also be found in Oman and in some islands off Persian Gulf. They prefer natural shelter, but it also resorts to digging and building dens when the need arises. On colder weather, it retires to hibernate.

Brandt's Hedgehog has a head and body measurement of about 25 centimeters and a weight of approximately 500 to 1,000 grams. It is perhaps the same in size as a West European hedgehog. However, it can be distinguished from its distant relative by its large ears, which in turn is a trait shared in common with another relative, the Long-eared Hedgehog. Compared to the Long-eared Hedgehog, Brandt's hedgehog runs faster because its needle protection is much lighter and yet more superior. The needle protection is a set of spines of hollow hairs that were stiff due to keratin. Unlike the porcupine's quills, a hedgehog's spines cannot be plucked easily off the skin as they are used for defense mechanism. When threatened, a hedgehog can roll itself inward to form a tight ball while the spines protrude outward to serve as spikes.

However, in the vast desert, the Brandt's hedgehog has evolved to use quick running as another mode of defense. It has five short-nailed toes on each of its two front paws. However, its back paws have four toes each with nails that constantly grow long. This serves burrowing purposes. Its range of vocal communication include grunts, snuffles, and even squeals.

Interesting fact: A hedgehog, although classified as an insectivore, is almost an omnivore as it feeds on not only insects but also snails, snakes, toads, frogs, carrion, bird eggs, grass roots, mushrooms, melons, berries, and watermelons.

Photo taken by AshLin, licensed under GFDL

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Saturday 21 April 2007 Bush dog

The bush dog (Speothos venaticus) can be found from Panama to Argentina. Despite its extensive range, it can seldom be seen and is very rare. It was even thought that bushdogs were extinct, because fossils of the bush dog caused the discovery of the species. Bushdogs are semi-aquatic and can dive underwater with great ease, partly because of their webbed feet. The bushdog's length can range between 57 and 75 centimeters long, and about 30 centimeters in height and weighs around 5 to 7 kilograms. Their biggest threat is habitat destruction, this is because of their low density populations. Bushdogs hunt in packs of 10-12 animals, this helps them bringing down larger prey, like rheas. Typical prey includes agouti, pacas and capybaras. You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Friday 20 April 2007 Eastern avahi

The Eastern Avahi (Avahi laniger) is a woolly lemur that lives on Madagascar. They weigh between 600 - 1300 grams and can reach lengths between 30 and 45 centimeters. They belong to the family Indriidae, which also includes the Indri. The Eastern Avahi is similair to the Indri in feeding behavior, both eat the leaf blade, not the midrib or petiole. They live in the same areas. This is possible due to the difference in activity times, the Eastern Avahi is nocturnal, while the Indri is diurnal. Avahis mate for life, stay with each other and raise their young as a family. Avahis live in the trees. When on the ground, avahis stand erect and move with their hands in the air just like sifakas.

Picture from the book "Planche IX. Alfred Grandidier (1875-1921) In: Histoire physique, naturidth="72">

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