Skip to main content

Small Mammals - Insectivora

Hedgehogs

On my IDEAWILD EQUIPMENT sponsored research in Northern Ghana, Moglaa of Savelugu-Nanton district i encountered several hedgehogs. 

Hedgehogs are members of the Insectivora, together with the Rodentia (Rodents) and Chiroptera (Bats) are collectively known as the SMALL MAMMALS.

They feed primarily on insects, however, in captivity, i realised they were able to bite open the stomach of dead frogs and lap at the blood in the entrails. I did not however, check to see if they actually ate portions of the gut content of the frogs.



Fig 1 A mother and its young


Hedgehogs are able to coil into a ball and protect the softer body tissues by the external spines all over their bodies.

Fig 2 below shows a small bit of exposed limbs from the spines



Fig 2

Fig 3 below shows the head of a hedgehog


Fig 3

Hedgehogs are normally confused with porcupines (rodents which also have spines) and Pangolins (also able to coil into balls). Porcupines and Pangolins will be described later

They are nocturnal, thus active at night and rest during the day under debris, rocks piles, etc. The locals in Northern Region of Ghana describe a peculier scent of the hedgehog and my assistant is able to tell when ever we move into an area with a hedgehog present. Immediately he picks up the smell, he is able to track the location of the hedgehog. Unfortunately due to my poor sense of smell i do not have this privilege. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Egg-eating Snakes

Are harmless, non venomous snakes that feed on only eggs. They are specialised egg-eaters. They swallow eggs wholly, spines in the neck break the eggs, the content is swallowed and the shell spat out. From old text, Ghana supposedly has about four egg-eating snake species. I have confirmed three so far. Two shown here from the Northern savannah part of Ghana and one from the Atewa forest (picture later).  The D. Gansi appears to be the most commonest as i have handled over 30 so far within a 10 year period and only two of the D. scabra and only one of the D. fasciata ? (from the forest) For more details on egg-eaters click here Rhombic egg eater ( Dasypeltis scabra ) Gan's egg eater ( Dasypeltis gansi )
Post a Comment
Read more

Monitors Lizards

Are generally large lizards with long necks, powerful claws and tails. The largest lizard in the world is a monitor, the Komodo dragon . Click here for more details on monitor lizards in Ghana
Post a Comment
Read more

Ghana

Ghana, my country is a small West African country that is bordered to the north by Burkina Faso, East by Togo, West by La Cote d' I voire and south by the Gulf of Guinea. Ghana has been among the top three producers of cocoa worldwide and also among the top 10 producers of gold. Has produced great leaders such as Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Kofi Annan, Wold boxing champions such as Azumah Nelson (three times world champion in two weight classes), Alfred "The Cobra" Kotey, Ike "Bazooka" Quartey, Joshua Clottey, Agbeko Joseph, Kofi Jantuah and D. K. Poison among others. In soccer Ghana has won the African cup 4 times and several Junior world cup trophies; The Black meteors (under 23 team) won  bronze in Barcelona 92, The Black Satellite (Under 20 team) won Gold : Fifa world cup in Egypt in 2009, and The Black Starlets (Under 17 team) won the Fifa world cup twice, 1991 in Italy and 1995 in Ecuador and were runners up twice in 1993 in Japan and 1997 in Egypt. A m...
Post a Comment
Read more