How big does a Brandt’s hedgehog get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Brandt’s hedgehog (Hemiechinus hypomelas) reaches an average size of 20.7 cm (0′ 9″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). A full-grown exemplary reaches roughly 213 grams (0.47 lbs). Talking about reproduction, Brandt’s hedgehogs have 3 babies about 1 times per year. The Brandt’s hedgehog (genus: Hemiechinus) is a member of the family Erinaceidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
Brandt’s hedgehog (Paraechinus hypomelas) is a species of desert hedgehog native to parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. Brandt’s hedgehog is approximately the size of the West European hedgehog (about 500–1,000 g in weight and 25 cm in length), but has distinctively large ears similar to the long-eared hedgehog and is a much faster runner due to lighter (but still superior to the long-eared hedgehog) needle protection. It is a fast runner, but, unlike the long-eared hedgehog, predominantly nocturnal and uses cuddling tactic more often, although still employing “jumping” attack.Brandt’s hedgehog prefers arid desert areas and mountains. It often uses natural shelter, although it is still capable of digging dens when absolutely needed. It hibernates during colder weather.Its common name derives from its having first been described by Johann Friedrich von Brandt, a director of the Zoological Department at the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences.There are multiple subspecies of Brandt’s hedgehog; known as Paraechinus hypomelas hypomelas, Paraechinus hypomelas blanfordi, Paraechinus hypomelas seniculus, and the Paraechinus hypomelas niger. These variations of Brandt’s hedgehog arose due to allosteric isolation thousands of years ago. Glacial activity formed a land bridge to the islands of Hengam, Larak, and Qeshm, just off the coast of Iran. About 15,000 years ago, sea levels rose again, isolating the species from the mainland. Over time, size and color differences between the different groups began to appear, creating the different types of subspecies.
Animals of the same family as a Brandt’s hedgehog
We found other animals of the Erinaceidae family:
- Shrew gymnure with a size of 11.7 cm (0′ 5″)
- Desert hedgehog with a size of 18.1 cm (0′ 8″)
- Indian hedgehog with a size of 18 cm (0′ 8″)
- Hainan gymnure with a size of 13.4 cm (0′ 6″)
- Daurian hedgehog with a size of 21.5 cm (0′ 9″)
- Brandt’s hedgehog with a size of 20.7 cm (0′ 9″)
- Southern white-breasted hedgehog with a size of 23.1 cm (0′ 10″)
- Southern African hedgehog with a size of 18.2 cm (0′ 8″)
- North African hedgehog with a size of 21.4 cm (0′ 9″)
- Podogymnura truei with a size of 31.3 cm (1′ 1″)
Animals with the same size as a Brandt’s hedgehog
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Brandt’s hedgehog:
- Palawan flying squirrel with a size of 22 cm (0′ 9″)
- Ring-tailed ground squirrel with a size of 22.1 cm (0′ 9″)
- Long-tailed giant rat with a size of 22.8 cm (0′ 9″)
- New Guinea waterside rat with a size of 21.3 cm (0′ 9″)
- Yucatan squirrel with a size of 23.6 cm (0′ 10″)
- Allen’s woodrat with a size of 22.3 cm (0′ 9″)
- Ethiopian dwarf mongoose with a size of 23 cm (0′ 10″)
- Ear-spot squirrel with a size of 20.3 cm (0′ 8″)
- Brandt’s hedgehog with a size of 20.7 cm (0′ 9″)
- Bushy-tailed woodrat with a size of 20.9 cm (0′ 9″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Brandt’s hedgehog
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (3) as a Brandt’s hedgehog:
- Texas mouse
- Southern big-eared mouse
- Whitehead’s spiny rat
- Taiwan field mouse
- Altai birch mouse
- Hispid hare
- Bushy-tailed woodrat
- Red river hog
- Smoky white-toothed shrew
- Hoary fox
Animals with the same weight as a Brandt’s hedgehog
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Hemiechinus hypomelas:
- Argentine tuco-tuco bringing 221 grams to the scale
- Ihering’s Atlantic spiny rat bringing 221 grams to the scale
- Patagonian weasel bringing 225 grams to the scale
- Val’s gundi bringing 174 grams to the scale
- Nectomys rattus bringing 248 grams to the scale
- Smith’s bush squirrel bringing 222 grams to the scale
- Red slender loris bringing 249 grams to the scale
- Greenish naked-backed fruit bat bringing 236 grams to the scale
- Shipton’s mountain cavy bringing 185 grams to the scale
- American red squirrel bringing 200 grams to the scale