Brandt's hedgehog

Brandt's hedgehog
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Erinaceidae
Genus:	Paraechinus
Species:	P. hypomelas
Binomial name
	Paraechinus hypomelas; (Brandt, 1836)
	Brandt's hedgehog range

Brandt's hedgehog (Paraechinus hypomelas) is a species of desert hedgehog native to parts of the Middle East and Central Asia.[2] Brandt's hedgehog is approximately the size of the West European hedgehog (about 500–1,000 g in weight and 25 cm in length), but has distinctively large ears similar to the long-eared hedgehog and is a much faster runner due to lighter (but still superior to the long-eared hedgehog) needle protection. It is a fast runner, but, unlike the long-eared hedgehog, predominantly nocturnal and uses cuddling tactic more often, although still employing "jumping" attack.

Brandt's hedgehog prefers arid desert areas and mountains. It often uses natural shelter, although it is still capable of digging dens when absolutely needed. It hibernates during colder weather.

Its common name derives from its having first been described by Johann Friedrich von Brandt, a director of the Zoological Department at the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

There are multiple subspecies of Brandt's hedgehog; known as Paraechinus hypomelas hypomelas, Paraechinus hypomelas blanfordi, Paraechinus hypomelas seniculus, and the Paraechinus hypomelas niger. These variations of Brandt's hedgehog arose due to allosteric isolation thousands of years ago. Glacial activity formed a land bridge to the islands of Hengam, Larak, and Qeshm, just off the coast of Iran. About 15,000 years ago, sea levels rose again, isolating the species from the mainland. Over time, size and color differences between the different groups began to appear, creating the different types of subspecies.

References

Bhattacharyya, T.; Srinivasulu, C. & Molur, S. (2016). "Paraechinus hypomelas". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T40610A115174910. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T40610A22326573.en.{{cite iucn}}: error: |doi= / |page= mismatch (help)
Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.

[1]

Yusefi, Gholam Hosein, et al. “Morphological Analysis of Brandts Hedgehog (Paraechinus Hypomelas) Reflects the Isolation History of Persian Gulf Islands and Has Implications for Taxonomy.” Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 119, no. 2, 2016, pp. 497–510., doi:10.1111/bij.12842.

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[iucn-1] Bhattacharyya, T.; Srinivasulu, C. & Molur, S. (2016). "Paraechinus hypomelas". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T40610A115174910. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T40610A22326573.en.{{cite iucn}}: error: |doi= / |page= mismatch (help)

[msw3-2] Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.

[3] Yusefi, Gholam Hosein, et al. “Morphological Analysis of Brandts Hedgehog (Paraechinus Hypomelas) Reflects the Isolation History of Persian Gulf Islands and Has Implications for Taxonomy.” Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 119, no. 2, 2016, pp. 497–510., doi:10.1111/bij.12842.