Litter Sizesand Breeding Seasons

of Hedgehogs in Germany

Litter Sizesand Breeding Seasons

of Hedgehogs in Germany

Monika Neumeier

Edited by Pro Igel e.V.

3. Edition, Reissue

Litter Sizes and Breeding Seasons of Hedgehogs in germany

Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.

Reference:This work and all its parts are protected by copyright. Application outside the limits of copyright law without consent having been obtained from Pro Igel e.V. is inadmissible. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

All Rights reserved3. Edition, Reissue 2016© Pro Igel e.V., Lindau/B. & M. Neumeier, Lindau/B.

Cover Photography: Reinhard-Tierfoto, HeiligenkreuzsteinachEditorial Management: Ulli Seewald, Münster/Westf.Layout and Typesetting: Pamela Kröhl, Niestetal, Ulli Seewald, Münster/Westf.Printed and bound in Germany by: Häuser KG, KölnCover Design: Pamela Kröhl, Niestetal

Photo Credits:

-

ISBN 978-3-940377-16-6

Correspondence and inquiries to:Pro Igel e.V. E-Mail: redaktion@pro-igel.de

Actual Informations in the Internet under www.pro-igel.de

05

Preface to the Reissue

This book by Monika Neumeier is a milestone in knowledge about our native brown breasted hedgehog. The author has been an outstanding expert in the the-ory and practice of everything to do with hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus Linna-

eus 1758) for more than four decades, has written numerous books and publications on hedgehogs and is the initiator and co founder of the Society Pro Igel e.V.

In this study, Monika Neumeier has swept away longstanding errors based on as-sumptions which academics and others still publish today about the reproduction,

of a large collection of data on almost 2000 litters over many years, Neumeier proves

biological knowledge about hedgehogs but is essential for meaningful and appropriate hedgehog care and for constructive endeavours in hedgehog and wildlife conservation.

All this is reason enough for the Society and Publisher Pro Igel e.V. to issue this

compact” - with thanks to our tireless author for her commitment to hedgehogs.

Münster, Westph., September 2016

Ulli Seewald, President Pro Igel e.V.

17Results of the Analysis and Discussion

3

Figure 2: Geographical Map of Germany with the eleven areas under investigation

Iller

Iller

rellI

I lle r

I s ar

I sar

I sar

Isar

Isar

K inzig

Kinzig

Kinzig

Regen

Regen

Regen

Regen

Unstrut

Unst rut

Uns trut

Fulda

Fulda

Fulda

Fulda

Jagst Jagst

Jags t

Naab

Naa

b

Naab

Naa

b

S ieg

Sieg

S ieg

E nz

Enz

Enz

S chwarze Els t er

Schwarze Elster

Schwarz e Elster

Ahr

Ahr

Altmühl

A ltmühl

Altmühl

Eder

Eder

Eder

Saar

Saar

Rot er Main

Neiße

Neiße

Mit tellandkanal

Mittellandkanal

Mittellandkanal

Mittellandkanal

Mittellandkanal

Weiße Elster

Weiße Elst er

Weiße E lster

Weiße E

lster

Lech

Lec h

Lech

Elde

Elde

Elde

E lde

Weißer Main

Uec

ker

Ueck

er

Trave

Trave

Kocher

K ocher

K ocher

Diemel

Diemel

Diemel

Inn

I nn

Inn

Inn

Hunte

Hunte

Hunte

Hunte

Ostpeene

Elbe-Havel-Kanal

Elbe-Se itenk anal

Elbe-Seitenkanal

Saale

Saale

Saale

Saale

Saale

Saale

Saale

Rhein-Herne-Kanal

E ider

Eider

Eider

Aller

Aller

A lle r

Aller

Hase

Hase

H ase

Has e

Rur

Rur

Rur

Brigach

Nahe

Nahe

LippeLippe

Lippe

Kyll

Kyll

Kyll

K yll

Main-Donau-K anal

M ain-Donau-K anal

Main- Donau-Kanal

Lahn

Lahn

Lahn

Lahn

Lahn

Warnow

Warnow

Warnow

Havel

Havel

Havel

Havel

Havel

Spree

Spree

Spree

Spree

Spree

Spree

Oste

Oste

Os te

Teterower Peene

Dortmund-Em s-Kanal

Dortm

und-Ems -Kanal

lana

K-s

mE-

dnu

mtro

D

Ruhr

Ruhr

Ruhr

Peene

Erf t

Erf t

Erf t

Br eg

B reg

Mulde

Mulde

edluM

Muld

e

Mulde

Leine

Leine

Leine

Leine

Wer

ra

Werra

Werr a

Werra

MainMain Ma

in

Main

Elbe

Elbe

Elbe

Elbe

Elbe

Elbe

Elbe

Westoder

Donau

Donau

Donau

Donau

Donau

Süderelbe

Norderelbe

Mosel

Mosel

Mosel

Ems

Ems

Ems

Ems

Rhein

Rhein

Rhein

Rhein

Rhein

Rhein

Rhein

Nord-Ostsee-Kanal

Weser

Weser

Weser

Weser

Oder

Neckar

Neckar

Walchen-see

Selenter See

Müritz

Schwe-rinerSee

SteinhuderMeer

Eider

Chiemsee

Bodensee

Tegernsee

Forg

gens

ee

Dümmer

Kum

merow

er Se

e

Simss

ee

Geiseltalsee

PlauerSee

Ammer-see

Schaal see

GroßerPlöner See

Malc

hiner

See

Tolle

nses

ee

Star

nber

ger S

ee

Darmstadt

Erlangen

Osnabrück

Frankfurt

Dresden

Bremen

Karlsruhe

Potsdam

Paderborn

HalleEssen

Wolfsburg

Bonn

Lübeck

Hamburg

Saarbrücken

Oldenburg

Mannheim

Braunschweig

DüsseldorfWuppertal

Koblenz

Ingolstadt

Rostock

Würzburg

Münster

Berlin

Wiesbaden

Ludwigshafen

Nürnberg

Siegen

Magdeburg

Reutlingen

Hannover

ErfurtChemnitz

Bielefeld

Kassel

Augsburg

HeidelbergFürth

Bremerhaven

Ulm

Jena

Göttingen

Pforzheim

Köln

BochumDuis-burg

Kiel

München

Leipzig

Trier

Dortmund

Stuttgart

Mainz

Regensburg

Freiburg

Aachen

Heilbronn

1a

2

3

4

5

6

78

9

10

OstseeNordsee

4

4

1 Lake Constance/Westallgaeu

1a Lake Constance/Oberschwaben

2 Southern Bavaria

3 Northern Baden-Wuerttemberg

4 Rhine Plateau and surrounding area

5 Ruhrgebiet/Bergisches Land

6 Erzgebirge/Thuringian Forest

7 Hanover and surrounding area

8 Berlin and surrounding area

9 Northern Lower Saxony

10 Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg

Designation of the eleven marked regions on the map:

Map created with EasyMap© Lutum+Tappert, Bonn

Ravensburg

Lindau 1

Results of the Analysis and Discussion

3

3.2 Breeding Seasons

For the evaluation of the breeding season,

-many is shown in percentage terms in Diagram 3last week of April, and the last two lit-

green bars in Diagram 3 --

May to the third week of June only a few hedgehogs are born, the actual breeding

in the last week of July (lime green bars in

-

Diagram 3: Percentage count of all litters in Germany by week of birth (n = 1837) and percentage count of all litters excluding Region 4 - Rhine Plateau and surrounding area (n = 1649)

Weeks of birth

shows the week of birth of each litter in the eleven selected regions on the map in Figure 2 (Page 17 -corporate a total of 1727 litter sites, a total

which could not be allocated to a particu-

Table 4 shows the percentage distributi--

tober. All eleven regions are listed separa-tely in Table 6 and Figure 2 (Page 17 .

regions will be investigated individually from South to North.

19Results of the Analysis and Discussion

3

Tabl

e 6:

Pe

rcen

tage

s of l

itter

s in

11 re

gion

s of G

erm

any

from

the

4th

wee

k of

Apr

il to

the

4th

wee

k of

Oct

ober

*

The

perc

enta

ges f

or a

regi

on a

re d

epen

dent

on

the

tota

l num

ber o

f litt

ers w

ithin

this

are

a; th

e pe

rcen

tage

s of t

he to

tal f

or a

ll re

gion

s with

the

„Res

t“

Regi

onN

o. o

f lit

ters

Perc

enta

ges

of li

tter

s pe

r wee

k (4

th w

eek

of A

pril

to 4

th w

eek

of J

uly)

4. A

1. M

2. M

3. M

4. M

1. J

2. J

3. J

4. J

1. J

2. J

3. J

4. J

1 –

Lak

e Co

nsta

nce/

Wes

tallg

aeu

2,5

1a

– La

ke C

onst

ance

/Obe

rsch

wab

en75

1,33

12,0

2 –

Sou

ther

n Ba

vari

a 11

31,7

7 3

– N

orth

ern

Bade

n-W

uert

tem

berg

21

60,

460,

465,

05 4

– R

hine

Pla

teau

+ s

urro

undi

ng a

rea

0,6

1,79

1,79

1,19

5,95

16,6

76,

550,

64,

76 5

– R

uhr R

egio

n/Be

rgis

ches

Lan

d 25

90,

390,

390,

390,

394,

63 6

– E

rzge

birg

e/Th

urin

gian

For

est

561,7

95,

36 7

– H

anov

er +

sur

roun

ding

are

a

73 8

– B

erlin

+ s

urro

undi

ng a

rea

312

0,32

0,32

1,60,

640,

96 9

– N

orth

ern

Low

er S

axon

y 46

10 –

Sch

lesw

ig-H

olst

ein/

Ham

burg

32

70,

312,

453,

0690

1,11

1,11

6,67

Tota

ls o

f Reg

ions

incl

. „Re

st“

0,06

0,17

0,17

0,11

0,66

1,43

1,60,

770,

770,

551,1

6

Regi

onN

o. o

f lit

ters

Perc

enta

ges

of li

tter

s pe

r wee

k (1

st w

eek

of A

ugus

t to

4th

wee

k of

Oct

ober

)

1. A

2. A

3. A

4. A

1. S

2. S

3. S

4. S

1. O

2. O

3. O

4. O

1 –

Lak

e Co

nsta

nce/

Wes

tallg

aeu

7,5

22,5

12,5

23,7

520

,02,

5 1

a –

Lake

Con

stan

ce/O

bers

chw

aben

7517

,33

14,6

712

,09,

3312

2,67

6,67

4,0

5,33

2,67

2 –

Sou

ther

n Ba

vari

a11

314

,1625

,66

15,0

46,

191,7

7 3

– N

orth

ern

Bade

n-W

uert

tem

berg

216

4,13

19,2

722

,94

21,5

611

,93

9,63

2,75

0,46

4 –

Rhi

ne P

late

au +

sur

roun

ding

are

a 9,

2716

,22

15,4

411

,97

15,0

69,

274,

252,

71,1

60,

39 5

– R

uhr R

egio

n/Be

rgis

ches

Lan

d25

97,

3514

,71

16,9

113

,24

16,9

15,

152,

944,

412,

21 6

– E

rzge

birg

e/Th

urin

gian

For

est

565,

3621

,43

14,2

91,7

95,

363,

573,

57 7

– H

anov

er +

sur

roun

ding

are

a73

20,5

531

,51

12,3

39,

592,

74 8

– B

erlin

+ s

urro

undi

ng a

rea

312

5,77

10,2

619

,55

16,3

515

,06

6,73

0,96

9 –

Nor

ther

n Lo

wer

Sax

ony

466,

526,

5236

,96

19,5

713

,04

4,35

2,17

10 –

Sch

lesw

ig-H

olst

ein/

Ham

burg

327

13,7

616

,21

16,5

17,

033,

671,5

30,

3190

15,5

612

,22

5,56

5,56

5,56

1,11

1,11

Tota

ls o

f Reg

ions

incl

. „Re

st“

7,71

13,6

516

,24

12,4

99,

195,

453,

361,3

20,

720,

060,

11

29Conclusion

4

The examination of the eleven regi-ons shows that only in one region

-rounding area which also incorporates

purely in terms of the time available are

they actually occur must be the subject of

as to how much so-called replacement lit-ters contribute to reproduction. It cannot be ruled out that some particularly late litters may indeed be these replacement

shortly after birth, a female possibly has the opportunity to mate a second time

would survive in the wild if her young die of some illness, he assumes that the illness or for example poisoning would be

assumption is correct or not needs further research. There are other events which can kill an entire litter apart from illness, for example when a dog raids a nest, or if a nest is destroyed by gardening or cons-

-

An argument against the probability of a larger number of replacement litters is also the fact that the female hedgehog is not ready to mate directly after giving

Table 4 shows clearly that the months of

-ny. If one disregards the litters from the

-

Conclusion4Chap

ter

30 Zusammenfassung

5

Inprimarily targeted at hedgehog rescue centres, a census was taken as to the

size, estimated age, observation date and -

tern European hedgehog (Erinaceus euro-paeus were analysed regarding litter size, and

young. In litters of up to one week of age,

an age of one to three weeks, the average was 4.41 young, and at an age of three to

hedgehogs was determined.1817 observations were used to deter-

mine the length of the breeding season.

the start and length of the breeding season

location and climate of the observation site.

-

young hedgehogs were seen or more spe--

bilitators and rescue centres between the -

vember. The respective dates of birth were calculated from the dates of the observa-tions and other criteria which were set out

-died occurred in the months of August

-teau and some surrounding areas around

-

-

for a second litter. However, even in this region there several reasons why a second litter may not be possible.

KEYWORDS: hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, litter size,

second litter

Abstract5Chap

ter

32