The difference between a porcupine and a hedgehog

Porcupine is a general name of porcupine family animals, famous for its spines, which can protect against enemies, up to 35 centimeters, hedgehogs are also known as hedgehogs, hedgehog rats, melon badgers, burrs, etc., and porcupine have spines on their bodies, so many people can't tell the difference between porcupine and hedgehog. Let's take a look at the difference between porcupine and hedgehog.

The difference of families and genera between porcupine and hedgehog

1. Porcupine: porcupine is a general term for animals of the animal kingdom, phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, mammal class, true animal subclass, rodent, porcupine suborder and porcupine family.

2. Hedgehog: hedgehog belongs to animal kingdom, phylum Chordata, vertebrate subphylum, mammal class, true animal subclass, hedgehog-shaped order, hedgehog family, hedgehog subfamily, hedgehog.

Morphological difference between porcupine and hedgehog

1. Porcupine: the porcupine is enlarged, the largest one is more than 70 cm long, the head is small, the eyes are small, the limbs are short and thick, and there are long and hard spines on the back and tail. This is an important organ for defense against natural enemies, the skull is small, the zygomatic arch is not dilated, and the nasal cavity is very inflated, with 20 teeth with shallow roots.

2. Hedgehog: hedgehog has a fat and short body, sharp claws, small eyes and short hair, the whole body is covered with short and dense thorns, the back and sides of the body are covered with spines, the head, tail and ventral surface are hairy, the mouth is tip and long, the tail is short, the front and back feet are 5 toes, and there are 44 teeth, all with sharp tooth tips, which are suitable for insectivorous. When frightened, the whole body thorns stand upright, rolled into a thorn ball, and the head and 4 feet are invisible.

The difference of habits between porcupine and hedgehog

1. Porcupine: porcupines inhabit hillsides, grasslands or dense forests, living in caves, nocturnal activities, and often have a certain route, walking with prickles rubbing against each other, herbivorous. Reproduce once a year, one child and four offspring. Distributed in tropical and subtropical forests and grasslands along the Mediterranean coast of Africa and Europe and in southwestern, southern and southeastern Asia.

2. Hedgehogs: hedgehog families are widely distributed in the "Old World" such as Asia, Europe and Africa, and have been artificially introduced into New Zealand. In New Zealand, as an imported animal, the hedgehog has no natural enemies, so excessive reproduction has gradually become a disaster. Because the main food "worms" was not enough, they began to search for snails, earthworms and bird eggs as food.

The difference of protection between porcupine and hedgehog

1. Porcupine: all porcupines are listed in the 2008 Red list of Endangered species ver3.1 of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

2. Hedgehogs: as wild animals protected in Beijing, ordinary hedgehogs have become one of 136 second-class protected animals protected by law. This species has been listed in the list of terrestrial wildlife under state protection or important economic and scientific research value issued by the State Forestry Administration of China on August 1, 2000.