Variation in the Diet Composition and Feeding Behavior of Two Different Species of Hedgehogs in Egypt

Humans occupy different habitats across the world, they managed to invade all environments in all parts of the whole earth. Due to their drastic invasion of all natural environments, they altered the food composition and feeding ecology of several animals especially those who are sharing the humans their habitats such as gardens and fields. Two populations of hedgehogs Hemiechinus auritus and Paraechinus aethiopicus inhabiting different localities in Egypt were studied thoroughly by using stomach contents analysis between October 2022 and October 2023. Detailed stomach analysis of stomach contents of 20 hedgehogs of H. auritus and 15 hedgehogs of P. aethiopicus showed that although they live in different habitats and could not interact with each other, but the food of both is highly assorted and highly affected by humans. Adequate insects, plant materials, cooked rice, eggshells, worms, garbage, and remnants of mammals and birds are detected as diet categories of their foods regimes. Seasonal variations in their diets were obviously related to the changes in the availability of different food materials. The results elucidated that although the two hedgehogs inhabit different localities, they adapted to consume several items of food benefited directly from the great impact of humans on their native environments.