In the forest, in the grove, in the park, in the garden you can meet an ordinary hedgehog. He runs around openly, rustles leaves, sniffles loudly, and when he eats, he smacks his lips. Sensing danger, he curls up into a ball. This is helped by special muscles on the back. The hedgehog hides its unprotected muzzle and exposes its quills.
The needles are a prickly shell that protects the animal from danger. An adult hedgehog has up to 16 thousand needles, 2-3 cm long and approximately 1 mm thick. The needles are spindle-shaped: their thickest part is in the middle. Their color is gray, but if you look closely, you will notice that they have alternating dark and light stripes.
Hedgehogs are born naked, not prickly. But after a few hours they are covered with white and dark needles. After two weeks, the babies open their eyes. By this time, the needles are already hard, like those of an adult hedgehog. He may already be puffing them up. Many animals exhibit special behavior to protect themselves. The cat hisses, arching its back upward. The bee stings. A hedgehog hides under a prickly shell.
Almost transparent ears protrude from the prickly shell, and the abdomen is unprotected and soft. Without thorns, it would be difficult for the hedgehog family to survive. However, do not overestimate the thorns. Some birds have quite sharp claws, and their “palms” are covered with thick skin, and they are not afraid of hedgehog thorns.
The fox does not have such “mittens”. But they say that she also likes to eat hedgehog meat. If there is a pond or puddle nearby, the fox will carefully roll the ball towards the water. The hedgehog must turn around willy-nilly. This is what the fox needs.
It is believed that the hedgehog needs spines to store mushrooms and apples. How not to remember the illustrations by V. Suteev! On them the hedgehog holds an apple on the thorns. Many people mistakenly believe that hedgehogs eat apples and mushrooms. But that's not true.
The hedgehog is a predator. They often kept it in houses instead of cats. Of course, he doesn’t specifically hunt mice, because he doesn’t run that fast. It is also not the animal’s habit to watch for prey.
It has also not been established that snakes occupy a prominent place in the diet of hedgehogs. But there is evidence that in places where hedgehogs have been destroyed, huge numbers of snakes appear. It is known that hedgehogs are not susceptible to snake venoms. The hedgehog deftly avoids the poisonous teeth of the snake, exposing its prickly side.
Hedgehogs usually feed on insects and berries. Usually during the night he eats as much food as he weighs. And in the spring, the hedgehog, hungry during the winter, eats even more.
Hedgehogs overwinter alone, climbing into a hole and hibernating. At this time, they live off the subcutaneous fat accumulated since the fall. Therefore, they do not make stocks from mushrooms and berries.
However, hedgehogs string apples, mushrooms and even leaves onto their spines. So they... take a shower.
People have been interested in this animal for a long time. In the ancient world, combs were made from hedgehog skins dried and stretched on planks - combs for sheep's wool. Nowadays, they often try to tame the animal and place it in their homes. But neither milk nor human care can replace green grass and earth. People also feel bad when they have a hedgehog. At night he runs and stomps. At this time, he got used to getting his own food. As it was recently discovered, hedgehogs live on ticks that spread serious diseases. So, let the cute animal live where it belongs. We can only rejoice at meeting him.
Literature:
Y. Dmitriev, N. Pozharitskaya, A. Vladimirov, V. Porudominsky “Book of Nature”
Encyclopedia “What is it? Who it?"
Imagine, it turns out that not all hedgehogs need needles, because reading Brem and his descriptions of various animals in the section on the hedgehog family, it is said that of the existing 19 species, 4 living in South Asia do not have spines. And we had to look for these hedgehogs, which turned out to be more similar in appearance to rats, such as the gymnur, the one in the photograph, which has the most impressive dimensions among hedgehogs, about 40 cm, if you take measurements from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. And another distinctive property of needleless hedgehogs is the number of teeth; the gymnur has 40, and the spiny ones have 36. But, let’s return to animals with needles, because What interests us in this question is the peculiarity of using needles.
So, as A. Brem writes about distinctive features hedgehogs: these are 36 teeth and a needle-like skin, characteristic of most species. Another property is the subcutaneous muscle, with the help of which they curl up into a ball, thus protecting themselves from enemies. Plus, almost complete immunity from snake venom and the ability to hibernate during cold weather in the northern regions of its habitat, and during drought in hot regions. Otherwise, eating mice, being nocturnal and giving birth to 3-8 babies is a fairly typical idea of hedgehogs. And yet there are no details about the needles!
We are looking further. Because This question was included in the program on 06/02/17. at the "Field of Miracles" then the answer is already known - it’s a shock absorber, but you can imagine the principle of action of needles, because, as described in zoological books, they look like a spindle, such a “stick” is thick in the middle and tapering towards both ends, because when a hedgehog rolls in a ball along the path where the tubercles are, its needle-like shock absorbers work like springs, which is why the animal does not feel these travel vibrations (interference) on its way.
P.S. An interesting fact about hedgehogs caught my eye: it turns out that they actually carry apples, like mushrooms, on their needles. But they do this not for supplies, as many people believe, but in order to clean their shock absorbers - needles. Conspirators, hmm!
Needles- This is a prickly shell that protects the animal from threats. An adult hedgehog has up to 5000 - 6000 thousand needles, 2-3 cm long and approximately 1 mm wide. The needles are spindle-shaped: their thickest part is in the center. Their color is grayish, however, if you look closely, you can see that they have alternating black and light stripes.
The hedgehogs appear naked and not prickly. However, after a few hours they are covered with snow-white and dark needles. After two weeks, children open their eyes. By this time, the needles are already hard, like those of an adult hedgehog. He may already be puffing them up. Special behavior for the sake of self-protection is characteristic of many animals. The cat hisses, arching its back upward. The bee stings. The hedgehog hides under a prickly shell.
Almost transparent ears protrude from the prickly shell, and the abdomen is unprotected and soft. Without thorns, it would be difficult for the hedgehog family to survive. But there is no need to overestimate the thorns. Some birds have rather sharp claws, and their “palms” are covered with thick skin, and the hedgehog’s spines are not scary to them.
The fox does not have such “mittens”. However, they say that she also loves to eat hedgehog meat. If there is a river or puddle nearby, the fox will carefully roll the ball towards the water. The hedgehog must turn around willy-nilly. This is what the fox needs.
It is believed that the hedgehog needs thorns to store mushrooms and apples. How not to remember the illustrations by V. Suteev! On their thorns the hedgehog holds an apple. Many people incorrectly believe that hedgehogs eat apples and mushrooms. However, it is not.
Primary sources:
Source of material Internet site
An ordinary hedgehog lives in the forest, in a park, in a grove, and can be found in a vegetable garden. While moving, it makes many characteristic sounds: rustling leaves, sniffing loudly, and smacking its lips while eating.
When enemies approach, it takes a characteristic defensive pose - curls up into a ball using special muscles on its back. It exposes its needles to predators, and hides its unprotected muzzle under a thorny shield.
Quills are a protective tool for a hedgehog.
Quills are a protective device necessary for survival in times of danger.
An adult has up to 16 thousand needles, they are 2-3 cm long and about 1 mm thick. The shape of the needles resembles a spindle: their thickest part is in the middle. The color of the needles is gray, but upon careful examination you can notice alternating dark and light stripes in their color.
Hedgehogs are born naked and not prickly. They become covered with white and dark needles after a few hours, and their eyes open after two weeks. The needles quickly become hard, like those of an adult hedgehog. The baby's needles may already be bristling. Such a defensive reaction is necessary in environment, because the hedgehog has many enemies. In moments of danger to life, all animals exhibit a natural reaction: a cat hisses, arching its back upward, a bee stings, and a hedgehog hides its soft body under a prickly shell.
In the absence of thorns, it would be difficult for hedgehogs to survive in the environment. The abdomen of hedgehogs is unprotected, tender, almost transparent ears protrude from the prickly shell. But even needles do not always help preserve the life of an animal. Some birds of prey They have rather sharp claws and a powerful beak; in addition, their “palms” are covered with thick scales, and they are not afraid of hedgehog thorns.
The fox does not have such “mittens”. But hedgehog meat is a tasty prey for her. Having found a thorny ball, he carefully rolls it towards the water and pushes it into a puddle or river. The hedgehog must turn around, exposing its defenseless belly to the predator. And the fox was waiting for this.
The hedgehog itself is a predator (sometimes it hunts mice), replacing the domestic cat. It is generally believed that hedgehogs need spines to pick mushrooms and apples and store supplies for future use. There is such an image of the animal in V. Suteev’s illustration! A hedgehog holds an apple on its thorns. There was an erroneous assumption that hedgehogs eat mushrooms and apples. But this is fiction.
The hedgehog is a predator based on its feeding method. In some homes, he replaces the cat, catching mice. Of course, he doesn’t specifically hunt mice; this is not in the rules of a calm animal, because he doesn’t run that fast to catch a nimble rodent. Hedgehogs also do not know how to watch for prey.
The basis of hedgehogs' diet is insects. Snakes are unlikely to occupy a prominent place in the diet of hedgehogs. But there are facts indicating the appearance of a huge number of snakes in places where hedgehogs were destroyed. It is known that animals are practically not susceptible to snake venoms. By exposing its prickly side, the hedgehog deftly avoids the poisonous teeth of the snake. Hedgehogs are insectivorous animals; their diet consists of beetles, larvae, various insects, and sometimes berries. The animal usually consumes an amount of food equal to its own weight during the night. In the spring, the hedgehog, hungry during the winter, becomes more voracious.
Hedgehogs spend the winter alone, climbing into a specially prepared hole. During hibernation they use subcutaneous fat, accumulated since the fall. They do not stock any mushrooms or berries. Hedgehogs string apples, mushrooms and even leaves onto their spines solely for hygienic purposes. In this way, they take a kind of “shower”, cleansing their body and needles of dirt.
Hedgehogs are frequent guests of garden plots. People have been familiar with this animal for a long time. In the ancient world, hedgehog skins were dried and stretched on wooden planks to form combs - combs for sheep's wool. Animals are difficult to train; you should not try to tame them, although animals can live in a house and wake up its inhabitants at night. But hedgehogs will not exchange green grass and earth for milk and meat.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE MUNICIPAL DISTRICT FYODOROVSKY DISTRICT
MUNICIPAL BUDGET EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION BASIC COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL OF THE VILLAGE OF DEDOVO
Regional scientific and practical conference for schoolchildren
"I'm exploring the world"
RESEARCH WORK ON THE TOPIC:
“Why do I eat needles?
like a thorny tree."
Completed by: Angelina Ladukhina,
4th grade student
Supervisor:
Fadeeva Elena Alexandrovna,
teacher primary classes
Content
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..………… ….3
I. Secrets behind the needles………………………………………………………………………………4 - 10
1.1 Types of hedgehogs and their habitats……………………………………………...4
1.2 What kind of animal is the common hedgehog?……………………………………………………….. 8
1.3 Why do hedgehogs need spines?……………………………………………………………..9
1.4 The importance of the hedgehog in nature.……………………………………………………10
II. Practical part. Summer observations…..…………………………………………………….…...11-12
Conclusion……..………………………………………………………………………………………13
List of sources used……………………………………………………….14
Appendix 1.- Questionnaire……………………………………………………………….15
Appendix 2 Photo report………………………………………………………………..16-18
Introduction
This is the third year in summer time We have an unusual neighbor living in our garden. He appears at dusk. Like an owner, he walks along all the paths of the garden.Quickly moving its short legs, it rolls along the ground, rustling leaves and sniffing out everything in its path.
Of course, you guessed who we are talking about.
We first become acquainted with the image of a cute funny creature from fairy tales and illustrations for them. The hedgehog is a favorite character in children's fairy tales. A good-natured, cute animal with a wet shiny nose on a sharp muzzle, with a loud, fast stomp, and funny puffing. All this makes him a favorite not only of children, but also of adults.
Object of study: common hedgehog
We wanted answers to questions :
1.What kind of animal is a hedgehog?
2.Why is the hedgehog’s body covered with spines and not fur, like most other animals?
Purpose of the study :
Find out: why do hedgehogs need spines?
We have supplied the followingtasks:
1.Analyze the scientific literature according to the description appearance and the hedgehog's lifestyle.
2. Organize observations of the hedgehog living in our garden.
3.Study the relationship between hedgehogs and humans.
4.Collect photographic material based on the results of your observation.
Research hypothesis: A hedgehog can live without needles
Research methods:
Theoretical methods:
Study articles on the Internet
Practical methods:
Watch a hedgehog living in the garden
Conduct a survey of classmates and adults.
Collect photographic material based on observation results
Practical significance of the study. The work materials can be used to teach lessons about the surrounding world, cool hours
1.1 Types of hedgehogs
It is generally accepted that the very first hedgehogs appeared on Earth about 30 million years ago. About 5 million years ago, hedgehogs settled throughout the planet, except Australia, South America, Madagascar and Antarctica. It is from this era that the fossil remains of the giant hairy hedgehog. This large animal the size of an average dog lived in southern Italy.
Nowadays, hedgehogs are widespread across all continents except Australia.Hedgehogs live in almost all corners of the globe. There are 19 species of all kinds of hedgehogs on the planet.
Non-spiny hedgehog
There are 4 species of hedgehogs living in South Asia, which, like their distant ancestors, do not have thorns.
Some are just woolly, others are bristly, others have stubble on their backs, simple hair, and even needles. Some have no idea about hedgehogs’ “all-round defense”, others curl up into a ball no worse than hedgehogs. These hedgehogs have rat tails. The biggest of woolly hedgehogs- big hymnur.
All other hedgehogs have spines.
Spiny hedgehogs.
Six species of hedgehogs live in Russia and its adjacent territories. Their main, well-known feature is short, stiff needles covering the sides and back. Hedgehogs are small in size: hedgehogs different types body length can range from 15 to 30 centimeters.
Depending on their lifestyle, they can be divided into two groupsforest hedgehogsAndsteppe hedgehogs.
Representatives of the first - forest hedgehogs - common, Amur and white-breasted hedgehogs - live in forests. True, the white-breasted one can also be found outside the forest zone: in forest-steppes, steppes and even deserts. Hedgehogs of this group build their nests from dry grass and fallen leaves under tree roots, fallen trunks or in depressions in the soil. U forest hedgehogs the spiky shell goes down to the sides, and on the forehead is divided by a “parting” - a strip of bare skin. The needles are smooth and shiny. The ears are short (less than half the length of the head). When frightened, they curl up into a spiny ball.
Divided into 3 types:
1. Common hedgehog – the head, sides and belly are gray, the needles have dark transverse stripes. Lives in middle lane European Russia, in the Middle Urals and in the south of Western Siberia. Avoids dense forests and swamps, preferring sparse, dry areas.
Spends the day in a nest of branches and leaves, which it builds under the roots, or in other shelters. In spring, it is often caught during the day, when it is actively eating after hibernation.
Common hedgehog White-breasted hedgehog
2. White-breasted hedgehog - look like common hedgehog, but the head and sides are dark brown, much darker than the throat and abdomen. Almost always on the chest White spot. The needles are light with a dark band at the top.
Lives in the middle zone and in the south of the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus and Southern Urals along the edges of deciduous forests, steppe ravines, canal beams and forest belts. It builds a nest only during wintering. In the middle zone there are crosses between common and white-breasted hedgehogs, which are difficult to distinguish from both species.
3. Amur hedgehog - similar to an ordinary hedgehog, but part of the needles (about a third) are white without dark transverse stripes. Unlike European hedgehog, Amur has a lighter color
Lives in the floodplains of the Amur and Ussuri, in the forests of Southern Primorye. Usually spends the day in the nest, but on cool rainy days it often hunts around the clock.
Representatives of the second group-steppe hedgehogs
- Dahurian, long-eared and long-spined hedgehogs are inhabitants of open steppe and semi-desert spaces. They live under natural shelters or in burrows they have dug themselves, but never bother making any kind of bedding. In case of danger, these hedgehogs do not like to curl up into a ball, but prefer to flee or try to prick the offender with needles.
U steppe hedgehogs
there is no parting on the crown, the spiny shell almost does not extend to the sides. Needles with longitudinal grooves. There are 3 types in Russia:
1. Daurian hedgehog – the ears are short (less than half the length of the head). The head is usually light. The fur on the belly is long and harsh. The Daurian hedgehog is less prickly than a regular hedgehog: its spines are directed backwards
It lives in the South-Eastern Transbaikalia, in the steppes and steppe forests. The day is spent in rodent burrows. Rare almost everywhere.
2. long eared hedgehog - the ears are very long (longer than half the head; the ear curved forward goes behind the eye). The fur on the belly is short and soft.
It lives from the Don to the Ob, in Tuva in dry steppes and semi-deserts, adhering to the vicinity of reservoirs, irrigated lands, wet depressions, loose sands and overgrown pastures. Often found in populated areas and in forest belts. Digs inclined holes over a meter long, ending in a nesting chamber. They are more elegant and smaller than European ones. Very mobile, because in open spaces you need to be able to run quickly. Animals living in captivity often become tame.
3. Long-spined hedgehog- one of the largest members of the hedgehog family: its weight ranges from 500 to 900 grams. The needles of this hedgehog are much larger than the others: their length is about 4 cm, and they grow on the back and sides. Stomach, top part muzzles - forehead, covered with soft hairs. On the head of this species of hedgehogs there is a so-called “parting” and an area not covered with either needles or hair
You can meet the long-spined hedgehog in the deserts and oases of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and in parts of the territories of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Included in the list of protected animals in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Very rare in Russia
Of the six species spiny hedgehogs, in Russia, two of them - Daurian and eared - are listed in the Red Book. Unlike other hedgehogs, whose numbers are increasing, these two species are gradually disappearing. The Daurian hedgehog often becomes a victim of forest fires, and eared hedgehogs poachers are interested
1.2 What kind of animal is the common hedgehog?
The common or European hedgehog lives in our area
Hedgehog is a predatory animal small size(body length 20 - 30 cm, weight 700-800 g) with a short tail (3 cm) It lives mainly in mixed and deciduous forests, but also penetrates the taiga and steppe. During the day it hides under a pile of brushwood and leaves, among bushes, and at night it comes out to feed. During the night, the hedgehog sometimes travels up to 3 km. In the dark, he finds food using his subtle sense of smell, although his vision and hearing help him. The hedgehog is an omnivorous animal, but its main food is beetles, earthworms, wood lice, mollusks, and can also feast on frogs, toads, lizards, snakes, mice, voles, shrews, as well as berries, acorns, fallen ripe fruits of apple trees, pears and others trees. Usually during the night he eats as much food as he weighs. And in the spring, the hedgehog, hungry during the winter, eats even more.
Winter for hedgehogs is a rather severe test, which not everyone can withstand. In winter, the hedgehog hibernates, lasting about 4.5 months. In the fall, at the end of September - beginning of October, he finds a reliable shelter under a pile of fallen leaves or brushwood or under the roots of trees, makes a shallow nest, lining it with leaves and grass. On this soft bedding, the hedgehog curls up into a ball and falls asleep. The heart barely beats, breathing is barely warm, all metabolic processes are inhibited and body temperature drops to 5-6°C. But still he is alive. The fat accumulated over the summer serves as food. If a hedgehog weighs less than 700 g by autumn, then it is unlikely that it will be able to survive the winter. A hedgehog that has accumulated enough fat to survive the winter, when viewed from above, is pear-shaped, that is, the back half of its body is greatly expanded. A hedgehog that has not eaten well has, figuratively speaking, the shape of a sausage, i.e. the width of its body is the same everywhere.
In the spring, usually in mid-April, when the sun begins to warm up and all kinds of small living creatures crawl out of their shelters, a hedgehog that has safely overwintered wakes up. During the winter, he became very emaciated and the prickly skin hangs on him like a rag, so the hedgehog immediately starts hunting and at first hunts day and night, forgetting about his nocturnal lifestyle. In summer, the hedgehog makes a nest under a bush or an upturned stump in some hole, covering it with dry leaves. Here he will give birth to hedgehogs (up to 8 cubs). After birth, hedgehogs spend only one day with them, and on the second they go out in search of food so that the cubs have enough milk.
The hedgehog is the only animal that can let a person get quite close. But not because he is so brave. The hedgehog just doesn’t see well, he relies more on his sense of smell. The hedgehog does not run away because it has a different method of defense: sensing danger, the hedgehog curls up into a ball. However, even if he tried to escape, he would still fail: his legs are too short, and he himself is very clumsy.
The hedgehog has enemies from whom neither needles nor curling up into a ball can save it. Thus, during a night hunt, a hedgehog is successfully attacked by an eagle owl: with soft, silent plumage and long toes covered with durable scales. There is no escape for the hedgehog from the fox, who carefully rolls the curled-up hedgehog into the water or urinates on it to force it to turn around. Then it plunges its sharp teeth into the head, unprotected by needles, and gnaws at the hedgehog. But when meeting with a viper, the hedgehog emerges victorious. He grabs her by the tail and immediately curls up into a ball.
1.3. Why do hedgehogs need needles?
Almost transparent ears protrude from the prickly shell, and the abdomen is unprotected and soft. Hedgehog spines located only on the back; the muzzle and abdomen are covered with regular hair. Without thorns, it would be even more difficult for the hedgehog family to survive.
Why hedgehogs developed shells in the first place is not the easiest question for scientists. The first hedgehogs - gymnurs - were more like rats than modern hedgehogs, because they didn’t have needles on their backs.
Spiny hedgehogs, familiar to us, first appeared in Asia. Most likely, gymnurs acquired a spiny shell during climate warming. The hair on the backs of the first hedgehogs gradually became stiff, and later completely turned into thorns. In the open area the shell became good remedy protection for an animal with short legs: hedgehogs move slower than the predators that hunt them, which means they need to defend themselves rather than flee. But why the spiky shell? Scientists cannot yet answer this question.
An adult hedgehog has up to 16 thousand needles, 2-3 cm long and approximately 1 mm thick. The needles are spindle-shaped: their thickest part is in the middle. Their color is gray, but if you look closely, you will notice that they have alternating dark and light stripes. Each needle grows for 12-18 months; Hedgehogs shed slowly - on average, one out of three needles changes per year (mainly in spring and autumn).
Hedgehogs are born naked, not spiny (similar to their ancestors). But after a few hours they are covered with white and dark needles. After two weeks, the babies open their eyes. By this time, the needles are already hard, like those of an adult hedgehog. He may already be puffing them up. Many animals exhibit special behavior to protect themselves. The cat hisses, arching its back upward. The bee stings. A hedgehog hides under a prickly shell.
The structure of the needles is similar to hair that has been highly modified during evolution. They are hollow inside and divided into chambers filled with air. Grows at the same rate as hair. Between the needles there are thin, long and very sparse hairs. Each needle has a muscle attached to it that raises and lowers the needle. And in case of danger, the needles intersect at different angles, forming an impenetrable cover of spines. And also - the hedgehog curls up into a ball. To do this, he has a special muscle along his back. The hedgehog deftly climbs trees. And here the thorns help him. If a hedgehog falls from a tree, the needles soften the fall as shock absorbers and the hedgehog will not break.
1.4.The importance of the hedgehog in nature
Hedgehogs are not very afraid of humans, although when they meet, they curl up into a ball just in case.
If a hedgehog has settled in your garden, consider yourself lucky. After all, the hedgehog is an insectivorous animal and is very voracious. Its main food is insects and among them many types of pests. In total, the hedgehog uses about 250 species of insects as food. However, he does not disdain larger game. If a hedgehog manages to catch a mouse, frog, chick or snake, then its strong jaws can easily cope with this prey. Hedgehog can eat poisonous snakes and poisonous insects that no one else dares to touch
The hedgehog's diet also includes plant food: fruits, seeds, berries, but still the main food is insects.
Hedgehogs are blamed for destroying bird nests, catching toads and frogs, and other damage to wildlife. But the benefits that prickly animals bring outweigh. The destruction of harmful insects and other pests by hedgehogs saves our forests, gardens and vegetable gardens.
The hedgehog is a welcome inhabitant of an ecologically clean garden. To attract hedgehogs, you need to create suitable living conditions for them. A fairly large ecological corner should be left in the garden, where cleaning is never carried out, where the soil is never processed. Most often, this is a strip around the garden occupied by hedges.
Hedgehogs also need conditions for overwintering. If hedgehogs have settled in your garden, then you need to make sure that they safely survive the difficult wintering period. The hedgehog helps you, and you help the hedgehog. It depends on you whether hedgehogs stay in your garden over the winter or leave. Hedgehogs willingly make their winter quarters under stacks of boards, under low-hanging branches of bushes, under piles of turf. You can make your hedgehog's life easier if you provide him with a winter shelter. This may be a low canopy under which fallen leaves are swept, or a loose pile of brushwood covered with a layer of foliage.
My observations
We have cats at home, and there is a cup in the garden into which we pour milk for them. One evening I noticed a hedgehog near this cup, lapping up milk. But when he saw me, he got scared and ran away. And I decided to watch him.
1st day. As soon as it started to get a little dark, the hedgehog appeared again. The cat, seeing the hedgehog, jumped back and began to observe his actions. After some time, the cat decided to approach the hedgehog and began sniffing its needles. The hedgehog snorted and ran away.
2nd day. The next day, at the same time, the uninvited guest appeared again. He walked around the garden, poking his little black nose around, sniffing as he went. Then he found a cup of milk and refreshed himself, looking around in fear. I wanted to come closer, but he ran away.
3rd day. He appeared at dusk and immediately went to the cup of milk. I poured some milk and the hedgehog ate it. I decided to add some treats and came closer. The hedgehog got scared and stepped aside, but didn’t leave at all. As soon as I walked away, he came back again. I ate and went my way.
The hedgehog was so used to this delicacy that as soon as it began to get dark, he came as if on schedule. The voices no longer frightened him. I decided to conduct an experiment: I moved the cup to another place. My guest walked along the garden paths, poking his nose at everything that came in his way, sniffling. His sense of smell did not let him down! So he found a cup in a new place and greedily ate the entire prepared gift, stepped aside, hid in the flowers and looked out from there. I added milk and he came out again. What an appetite! He ate a whole glass of milk!
One evening, we heard some noise and rumble through the window. We went outside and saw a hedgehog rattling around empty buckets in search of food. And we remembered that we forgot to pour milk for him. We got so used to it that as soon as we sat down to dinner, we immediately asked: did they pour milk for the hedgehog?
We got used to the hedgehog, and he got used to us. He no longer ran away. He didn’t curl up into a ball, he even allowed me to stroke my nose. But he didn't like being picked up. They became friends with the cat and ate together from the same bowl.
But imagine our surprise when there were two hedgehogs near the cup of milk, and then a third one came up. It was probably the mother hedgehog who brought her grown-up offspring.
I decided to interview village residents about hedgehogs. And here's what I found out.
Kremenitskaya V.S. 68 years old. The hedgehog comes to us for three summers. I feed with milk. I think they began to come to people because of the dry weather, since there was little food in the forest. That's why they look for help from people. Previously, hedgehogs did not come to people’s homes. Could only be found in the forest
Ladukhin I.F. 85 years old. (my grandfather) Previously, hedgehogs could be found near the village very rarely. And in given time- often. Because people throw away leftover food. This is what attracts them.
Goryacheva M.P. 51 years old . Our hedgehogs settled not far from our house in the bushes. They have been living there for five summers now. Even whole families come. We feed them milk. They eat from the same cup with a cat, but they are not friends with a dog. When the hedgehog eats, the dog sits on the side and watches.
Fedorova G.R. 30 years old. The hedgehog is coming to our garden for the third summer. We feed him milk. A hedgehog can be tamed by placing a cup of milk closer to the fence, they will find it once and will constantly walk, even if the cats eat it, they will still know that there is food there.
The adults surveyed noted that before hedgehogs could only be seen in the forest, but now they are increasingly appearing near human habitation.
This allows us to conclude that there are more hedgehogs, and they began to trust people.
Of the 20 primary school students surveyed
8 people have not encountered hedgehogs.
12 people saw a hedgehog in their yard and fed it with milk. Only one tried giving sugar, which the hedgehog liked.
The guys noted that if you feed the hedgehog, he will come again.
Almost all the children called the hedgehog a useful animal because it eats insects, mice and snakes. The guys don’t know that a hedgehog can be not only useful. The guys also don’t know that you can’t pick up a hedgehog, as it can be a carrier of diseases.
I hope that my work will help children learn more about this cute, funny animal.
Conclusion
Summing up research work, we can conclude that the goals we set at the beginning of the study have been achieved.
We studied material about hedgehogs, got acquainted with the varieties of hedgehogs, conducted a survey of school students and the adult population, conducted observations, and collected photographic material based on the observation results.
1. We were able to refute the hypotheses that we put forward at the beginning of our research and establish that the hedgehog needs thorns.
Hedgehog needles:
This is the shell that protects animals from danger,
These are springs that protect the hedgehog when it falls,
This is to help science study foci of infection,
2. We managed to find out what hedgehogs eat and what they like cow's milk. But it is harmful to the health of hedgehogs and can lead to their death.
3. We found out that hedgehogs can settle near human habitation, but they do not like being taken into the house.
4. The importance of the hedgehog cannot be assessed unambiguously. It can be both useful and harmful. It causes harm by eating beneficial insects (bumblebees, bees, carrion beetles, ground beetles, etc.), insectivorous animals (shrews, moles), chicks and eggs of birds nesting on the ground. At the same time, the hedgehog brings benefits by destroying forest pests such as beetles and their larvae, caterpillars and sawfly pupae, cutworms, weevils, eating mouse-like rodents and poisonous insects.
People have been interested in this animal for a long time. Nowadays, they often try to tame the animal and place it in their homes. But neither milk nor human care can replace green grass and earth. As it was recently discovered, hedgehogs live on ticks that spread serious diseases. So, let the cute animal live where it belongs. We can only rejoice at meeting him. And if a hedgehog has taken a fancy to your garden, help him. And the hedgehog will thank you for your care.
Anyone can be a friend to hedgehogs if they follow the rules of behavior with hedgehogs that we have compiled.
Do not pick up the hedgehog;
do not offend the hedgehog;
do not destroy hedgehog burrows;
do not make noise in the forest, especially in the spring, when hedgehogs appear;
do not pollute the forest, because hedgehogs can get sick themselves and transmit the infection to forest inhabitants and people;
do not make fires;
do not destroy the forest, as the forest is home to hedgehogs.
Used Books.
Akimushkin I.I. Animal world: Mammals, or animals. -2nd ed., and additional - M.: Mysl, 1988.
Great Russian Encyclopedia. 30 vol. 9. M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia. 2007.
Appendix 2
Night guest in our garden
« So we became friends »
"The whole family is assembled"
"Don't pick me up"