Gymnure

Preparation of a large rat Hedgehog in the Museum Koenig.

• Big rats hedgehogs ( Echinosorex )
• Small rats hedgehogs ( Hylomys )
• Shrew hedgehog ( Neotetracus )
• Hainan rats hedgehogs ( Neohylomys )
• Philippines rats hedgehogs ( Podogymnura )

The rats hedgehogs and hedgehog hair ( Galericinae Hylomyinae or ) are a subfamily of hedgehog ( Erinaceidae ). The eight species of this group live in East and Southeast Asia.

Description

Rats hedgehogs are more like large rodents or shrews than the sting of hedgehogs ( Erinaceinae ), the second sub-family of hedgehogs. You have no spines and are usually covered with a soft, gray brown or black fur. The snout is relatively long, eyes and ears are well developed.

Way of life

Rats hedgehogs live in thick woods or swamps, but sometimes occur even in fields and plantations. You can be active both during the day and at night and retire to rest in hollow logs, under tree roots or in abandoned Tierbaue back. The animals live mostly solitary. Compared to predators they defend themselves with the smelly secretions of their scent glands.

With their long snout they are looking for in the dense shrubbery or in rotting plant material for food. This consists primarily of insects and earthworms. Occasionally they also take small vertebrates, carrion and fruit to himself.

Reproduction

Relatively little is known about the reproduction of these animals. The rats hedgehogs should know no seasonal mating period and to give birth twice a year young. After a gestation period of 30 to 40 days the female gives birth to two to four young. The highest known age of a rat hedgehog in captivity was just under five years.

Threat

The main threat to the rats hedgehogs will be the loss of its habitat through deforestation and conversion to plantations and settlements. Four of the eight species are considered threatened by the IUCN or listed under serious threat.

Species

• The Great Rat Hedgehog ( Echinosorex gymnurus ) inhabits swamps and forests of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. He also studied in rivers for food and probably also takes crustaceans, frogs and fish to him. With a total length of up to 75 centimeters and a weight of up to two kilograms, it is the largest living hedgehog. His fur is black, the face and the shoulders are colored white.
• The little rats hedgehogs ( Hylomys ) are characterized by a rust- brown fur and a short tail. Their range extends from Myanmar and Southern China ( Yunnan ) to Java and Borneo.
• The shrew hedgehog ( Neotetracus sinensis ) has a body length 10-11 cm and a tail length of four to six centimeters, the smallest hedgehog. It inhabits higher altitude forests in southern China, Myanmar and North Vietnam.
• The Hainan rats hedgehogs ( Neohylomys hainanensis ) lives only on the island of Hainan off the Chinese coast. It resembles the little rats hedgehogs, but is slightly larger and has a much longer tail.
• The Philippines rats hedgehogs ( Podogymnura ) include two living species in the southern Philippines. They are characterized by rough, almost spine- like hairs.

Extinct rats hedgehogs, including Deinogalerix, are also known from Europe.