Hedgehogs and moonrats
WHAT, you may well ask, have such two different mammals in common? One a spikey creature and the other smooth, with ratlike features. The answer is very simple. Neither is a rodent, for one is not a pig and the other not a rat, as both belong to the same species – Erinaceidae.
For many a year, I have not seen hedgehogs in my garden. This year, however, one appeared at night, scuttling away from the front door lights. Only a few days ago, a few metres from my house I saw one lying dead on the roadside, squashed by car wheels. The hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) population has dramatically fallen in Britain over the last three decades, primarily due to traffic and to the fact that farming has become more extensive, so consequently field hedges have been ripped out. Their main predator, the badger, has flourished.
In the last two years and despite naturalists’ protests, the government has ordered field trials in my county of Somerset to cull badgers, in an attempt to reduce the incidence of bovine tuberculosis. It is suspected that badgers are vectors of this disease. Locally in Somerset, hedgehogs are known as ‘hedge pigs’ or ‘furze-hogs’.
Worldwide, there are 17 species of indigenous hedgehog, all are characterised by their nonpoisonous spines, which are little more than hollow hairs stiffened with keratin. When in danger, a hedgehog rolls up tightly in a ball in order to protect its bare face and underparts from predators. As a further deterrent, it sticks out its spines. Mainly nocturnal, hedgehogs live by day in bushes or under rocks or even in underground dens. They communicate with each other by pig-like grunts, snuffles or squeaks. Together with bats and dormice, they are the only British mammals to hibernate, but with increasingly mild winters this is less likely to occur. The hedgehog’s diet My garden hedgehog has certainly reduced the number of slugs and snails that usually attack my plants in summertime. Besides these pests, hedgehogs feed on earthworms, insects, beetles, birds’ eggs, mushrooms, young birds, fallen apples and pears, and even on carrion and some types of snake. They are truly omnivorous and particularly enjoy canned dog food left over from my hound’s supper. Healthy habits and lifespan Most hedgehogs are riddled with fleas and to rid themselves of these blood suckers, they ‘selfanoint’ themselves by licking their bodies with frothy saliva. It is thought that this helps to get rid of parasites, or it could be a way of deterring potential predators. The gestation period for a pregnant female is between 40 and 60 days, with an average-sized litter of four babies which, at birth, have their eyes blinded by a membrane that dries off in a few hours. In the wild they may live up to seven years and sometimes beyond but much will depend on their diet. They are prone to many diseases which are common amongst humans, such as cancer, liver damage and cardiovascular problems, for they eat high fat and sugar substances. Hedgehog myths Throughout British history there are numerous myths associated with this animal, some of which may well be true. Many of these relate to the hedgehog’s alleged ability to predict the weather, depending on the direction of northerly (colder) and southerly (warmer) winds. It is suggested that a hedgehog’s nest or den has two ventilation holes and it turns its body away from whichever wind is prevailing. In some parts of Britain, they are associated with witchcraft and even Shakespeare mentions hedgehogs in the witches’ cauldron in that memorable scene in ‘Macbeth’. Some folk have even believed that hedgehogs suckle cows’ udders at night – totally untrue. They have been hunted and used in pseudo medicinal cures for hair loss, deafness, and even to enable a person to see in the dark. Today, and somewhat sadly, these far-fetched and nonscientific remedies may still be found. Moonrats They may hunt by moonlight but rats they are not. Nocturnal in habit, they are essentially carnivores, feeding mainly on earthworms and small animals, spiders, centipedes and millipedes as well as on small crabs, fish, frogs and fruit. Smaller in weight than hedgehogs, there are two subspecies found in Malaysia, Echinosorex gymnura found in Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand, and Echinosorex gymnura alba found in Malaysian Borneo.
Our Bornean moonrats are generally white, as their Latin name implies, but may possess a few blackish hairs. With an average body length of about 36 centimetres and a tail length of 24 centimetres, they resemble a rat in overall appearance. Their long sensitive pink snouts are not unlike that of a pig with the same ability to root out food.
Moonrats have been observed living in lowland forests and mangrove swamps in both Sabah and Sarawak, up to an altitude above sea-level at 1,000 metres on Mount Kinabalu and at 900 metres in the Kelabit Highlands. These animals are protected. Like hedgehogs, they live by day under logs, or under the stilt roots of trees or in the deserted burrows of other animals. Surviving for up to five years, they build nests and give birth to two babies at a time. Little really is known about this mammal’s gestation period. Unpleasant characteristics Moonrats stink strongly of ammonia, emitted from their anal glands, which they use to good effect in marking their territories and driving off would-be predators. It is so foul-smelling, it compensates for the animal’s easily seen white coat, so that it has few predators. Even owls stay well clear of moonrats. Many a naturalist, whilst exploring the rainforests at night, has recorded the moonrat’s defensive characteristics, for they make no attempt to retreat. Instead, they turn to face an intruder and snarl with open mouths, displaying a good set of jagged teeth (almost like an enraged dog) and hiss like a cat. Threats to moonrats Untroubled by animal and bird predators, man is their greatest threat through agricultural advancements, plantation developments, land reclamation of mangrove swamp sand in logging activities. The Pen an people once hunted moonrats either as a source of meat protein or else to sell on to traditional medicine makers.
There must be as many tales to tell about moonrats in Penan literature as there are about hedgehogs in English literature. I just wonder how many of such tales or even myths have been passed down from one generation to another over the ages. Just a word of warning, neither hedgehogs nor moonrats should be kept as family pets. Last July, a Malaysian was charged with attempting to smuggle hedgehogs into Singapore. The price he will pay is certainly more than his buyer would give him.