News: For the first time, the Tamil Nadu forest department has begun a study on Madras Hedgehog at the Theri forests.
About Madras Hedgehog
- The Madras hedgehog is a small-sized insectivorous mammal.
- It is also called the bare-bellied hedgehog or South Indian hedgehog.
- Scientific name: Paraechinus nudiventrus
- Habitat: It lives in arid and semi-arid habitats such as grasslands, open shrublands, thorn forests, and dry deciduous forests.
- It prefers open natural ecosystems and avoids dense forests.
- Distribution: It is endemic to southern India.
- It is found only in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala.
- Physical Features:
- Appearance: Its body is covered with sharp spines except on the face, legs, and underbelly. It has soft white fur on its belly.
- Defence: When threatened, it rolls itself into a tight ball for protection.
- It has a pig-like snout which helps it in searching for food in the soil.
- Length: 14–25 cm with a short tail of 1–3 cm.
- Weight: 130-315 grams
- Lifespan: Five to six years
- Nature: It is a nocturnal animal and remains active mostly during the night.
- It has a limited home range of about two to three kilometres and completes its life cycle within this area.
- Diet: It is an omnivore and mainly feeds on insects and soil invertebrates.
- Ecological role:
- It plays an important role in maintaining ecological balance as both a predator and prey species.
- It can eat up to forty insects in an hour and helps farmers by controlling pest populations.
- It is considered an ecological indicator because its population reflects the health of the environment.
- Threat
- Habitat loss from agriculture, plantations and wind or solar infrastructure
- Poaching
- Road mortality.
- Conservation status
- IUCN Red List: Least Concern
