Hemiechinus auritus
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus) is a species of hedgehog native to Central Asian countries and some countries of the Middle East. The long-eared hedgehog lives in burrows that it either makes or finds and is distinguished by its long ears. It is considered one of the smallest Middle Eastern hedgehogs. This hedgehog is insectivorous but may also feed on small vertebrates and plants. In captivity they can live for over 7 years. Wild hedgehogs have been found to carry Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick, which can transmit Boutonneuse fever.
The length of the head and body of the long-eared hedgehog is approximately 120–270 mm, and the tail is 10–50 mm long. The skull is about 38–48 mm long. Unlike other species the pterygoids of the skull do not inflate and they do not relay information to the tympanic membrane. The ears of this hedgehog are 30–45 mm longer than the closest spine. They are used for heat radiation in the desert. Long-eared hedgehogs have great senses of hearing and smell that they use to hunt out food and detect predators.
The long-eared hedgehog's spines are embedded in a unique muscle sheath that forms a bag-like structure which... Wikipedia →
Recording0:03
Israel · 2021
© kfirzi · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates |
No species of the same family or order lives in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Long-eared Hedgehog sighting in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 12 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-eared Hedgehog sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, in our data
Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Long-eared Hedgehog sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-eared Hedgehog is recorded against all the mammals logged in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
