Sex differences in the winter activity of desert hedgehogs (Paraechinus aethiopicus) in a resource-rich habitat in Qatar (original) (raw)
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Scientific reports, 2018
We investigated seasonal changes in the ecology and behaviour of the Ethiopian hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus) in Qatar, particularly in respect to differences in behaviour between hedgehogs living in arid environments and hedgehogs in temperate mesic environments. These comparisons will allow us to explore behavioural adaptations to different environments across hedgehog taxa. We radio-tracked 30 hedgehogs in Qatar over two years, and measured home range size, habitat preference, travel speed, activity and body mass. Whilst we found no difference in body mass between males and females, male home range size was over twice as large as that for females. Unlike hedgehogs in Europe, males maintained large home ranges during the non-breeding season. This behaviour may be sustained by the low cost of maintaining a large home range; males travelled less far per hour during the non-breeding season. Habitat use was non-random; arid areas with human influence, including rubbish dumping sit...
Authorea, 2022
Due to the urbanization and human invasion of the natural environments, a great deal of changes have occurred on the food composition and feeding ecology of several animals especially those are sharing humans their habitats in fields, wadis and gardens. The Desert Hedgehogs Paraechinus aethiopicus populations inhabiting different localities in Saudi Arabia were studied by using stomach contents analysis between February 2015 and October 2019. Precise analysis of 55 stomach contents of hedgehogs showed that the food of The Desert Hedgehogs Paraechinus aethiopicus is highly diverse and highly influenced with effect of humans on the environment includes cooked rice, insects, plant materials, egg shells, worms, garbage and remains of mammals and birds. Diet composition showed seasonal variations that are apparently associated with changes in the availability of different food items. The present results clearly showed that The Desert Hedgehogs Paraechinus aethiopicus is a generalist animal, capable of adapting to a great variety of dietary compositions in the study sites.
Daily energy expenditure in the face of predation: hedgehog energetics in rural landscapes
The Journal of experimental biology, 2017
Failure to balance daily energy expenditure (DEE) with energy intake can have an impact on survival and reproduction, and therefore on the persistence of populations. Here we study the DEE of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), which is declining in the UK. We hypothesise that there is a gradient of suitable habitat for hedgehogs in rural areas, which is a result of fewer food resources, a higher risk from predation by badgers (Meles meles) and colder ambient temperatures, as distance to the nearest building increases. We used the doubly labelled water method to obtain 44 measurements of DEE from hedgehogs on four predominately arable sites, to determine the energetic costs associated with proximity to buildings, on sites with and without badgers. The mean±s.e.m. DEE was 508.9±34.8 kJ day(-1) DEE increased the further a hedgehog was from buildings during the study, possibly as they ranged larger distances on arable land, supporting the hypothesis that hedgehogs select villa...
Animals, 2020
The West-European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) has declined markedly in the UK. The winter hibernation period may make hedgehogs vulnerable to anthropogenic habitat and climate changes. Therefore, we studied two contrasting populations in England to examine patterns of winter nest use, body mass changes and survival during hibernation. No between-site differences were evident in body mass prior to hibernation nor the number of winter nests used, but significant differences in overwinter mass change and survival were observed. Mass change did not, however, affect survival rates; all deaths occurred prior to or after the hibernation period, mainly from predation or vehicle collisions. Hedgehogs consistently nested in proximity to hedgerows, roads and woodlands, but avoided pasture fields; differences between sites were evident for the selection for or avoidance of arable fields, amenity grassland and buildings. Collectively, these data indicate that hibernation was not a period of s...
Physiological and biochemical zoology : PBZ
Documenting variation in thermoregulatory patterns across phylogenetically and geographically diverse taxa is key to understanding the evolution of endothermy and heterothermy in birds and mammals. We recorded body temperature (Tb) in free-ranging desert hedgehogs (Paraechinus aethiopicus) across three seasons in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Modal Tb's (35°-36.5°C) were slightly below normal for mammals but still warmer than those of other hedgehogs. The single maximum Tb recorded was 39.2°C, which is cooler than maximum Tb's recorded in most desert mammals. Desert hedgehogs commonly used torpor during winter and spring but never during summer. Torpor bouts occurred frequently but irregularly, and most lasted less than 24 h. Unlike daily heterotherms, desert hedgehogs did occasionally remain torpid for more than 24 h, including one bout of 101 h. Body temperatures during torpor were often within 2°-3°C of ambient temperature; however, we never recorded repeated bouts of long...