Hedgehogs
Raccoon-poloskun: cheerful clean
Rings on the tail
We often hear, especially from hunters, that raccoons live in our forests. However, with the same success it can be said that lions or tigers live in Central Russia. Because the animal from our forests is not a raccoon, but a raccoon dog, which was once imported from the Far East. There is a definite similarity, but, as they say, “a pig looks like a hedgehog, only the wool is not like that”! A real raccoon is the same relative to a dog, like a cat, that is, in general, no. Consequently, in the European part of Russia the raccoon is not fully inhabited, or rather, and not the raccoon at all, but the abbreviation: those who were too lazy to move their tongues, pronouncing the raccoon dog, reduced it to the first four letters. And she went to write the province, and still writes! Continue reading
Hedgehogs: eared, bald, prickly …
Zoologists account for about two dozen species of hedgehogs, of which five are found in Russia. The most numerous are the common, or western, and Eastern European, or white-breasted, hedgehogs. Not so long ago they were considered one species (the Amur hedgehog, now also identified as a separate species) was also attributed, but studies have shown that they are all different. The white-hooded hedgehog has a darker (somewhat grimy) muzzle, and its sides and belly are blond, while its western brother has dark brown hair on the sides. The main difference: the eastern hedgehog has a very bright spot on the chest. However, when meeting in the forest grass, this omen does not work …
The Daurian hedgehog living in Transbaikalia is rare and was listed in the Red Book of Russia. Continue reading
