2009 April | Your source for all Hedgehog information

Hedgehog Quills

April 13th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Video Games

Of all the features of your pet hedgehog, possibly none stands out more than than the quills.

When you actually stop to consider it, they actually are quite remarkable. They are the main methods of defense a hedgehog has against predators, but they serve some other rather helpful purposes too. Diagram of a quillAlthough scientifically described as being changed hairs, every one of the approximately 7000 quills on a hedgehog’s back is far more complicated than any hair potentially may be.

Instead of being solid within, each is filled through with complicated network of air chambers. Not only does this make them extremely light and powerful, but it also helps to stop buckling and breakage. At the base, the quill narrows to a thin stem where it enters the skin and is strongly anchored in the muscle tissue by a little, ball-shaped follicle. At the opposite end, the quill narrows to a needle-like point and is bent a little back to provide maximum defense should a predator have an interest in having hedgehog for lunch! When attacked, it’s the contraction of the 2 massive muscles that run down either side of the hedgehogs body that cause the quills to be raised in defense. When those 2 muscles are contracted, ( very similar to pulling the draw strings on a purse ) they pull against the ball-like base of the quill, drawing it into an upright position. Since the muscles pull different quills in different directions, they have a tendency to crisscross each other, forming a near impenetrable barrier.

They are not only there for defensive purposes. Hedgehogs are spotted for being talented climbers but, like pussies, are not amazing at getting themselves back down again! When they do come across a drop that they can not climb down, they will simply roll into a ball and drop, permitting the pricks to soften the fall. To stop the quills from being damaged or lost, the thin stem just above the skin flexes on impact. Though we don’t endorse you try this at home, wild hedgehogs have been seen dropping from heights of almost twenty feet with no clear signs of injury! Electron Microscope Image courtesy of Shelley Small Microscopic cut-away picture of a quill Click here to view a bigger copy Photograph thanks to Shelley Tiny In their local environments, hedgehogs are spotted snake killers and, once more, the quills come in quite handy for this too. After having first grasped the snake with its teeth, they’re going to drive their forehead quills into the snake, thus slaughtering it.

So, next time you hold a hedgehog in your hand, take a closer look. The fantastic design and wonder of these unique animals makes something as trivial as a single quill something to wonder at!

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Ultimate Genesis Collection

April 7th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Computer Games

Damian Cross asked:

Many of the video games out in the market today had it’s beginnings many years ago. Such is the case of Sonic the Hedgehog, from Sega of America. People who first got their hands on Sonic games, did so in early 1991. Today, Sega realizes a market exists, composed mainly of people in their late twenties to mid thirties, who would still enjoy the first releases of Sonic the hedgehog and his adventures facing Dr. Robotnik. For this crowd, the developers at Sega have released a collection of over 40 games called The Ultimate Genesis Collection. With the aim of bringing back memories of the good old days that present parents may perhaps enjoy in the company of their children.

There are exactly 49 different games in the Sonic Genesis compilation. In terms of content, they are well known games, that most Sonic fans will be familiar with. You will be provided with every instance of Sonic the Hedgehog to ever come out on the Genesis, in addition to three distinct releases of “Streets of Rage”, and “Golden Axe”. Perhaps not many Sonic fans of today are familiar with an included version of “Altered Beast”, despite the fact that players who still remember this game, believe it to be the greatest game ever. In summary, all the games included in the compilation are well known games, and each of them enjoyed their two seconds of fame at the time when they where first released. For those who lost the opportunity to enjoy one these game titles, here’s your chance to catch up on you gaming experience. Some of the less known titles, players may have missed include “Ecco the Dolphin” and “Kid Chameleon”.

The games in the collection run by means of an emulator, the PS3 controls blend adequately in place for the Genesis pad. All games can be played via analog stick, or “D-Pad”, and the action buttons are arranged in practical, easy to use locations. Maneuver controls, and actions buttons are effectively displayed on the screen at the beginning of each game before you jump in. Plus, advances in technology allow for fun additional features not seen before in these game titles. Extras that allow the player to save the game whenever he wants, and to see additional features and extras for each game are such to provide a more fulfilling video game playing experience.

Any game player with previous experience using emulators is aware that they are not perfect. Expect some glitches in the graphic interface, causing minor interruptions in game play, plus a little static noise during game play. These drawbacks do not come as a surprise and should be expected when using an emulator to play games made in another platform. To compensate, the disc provides nine system games and several developer interviews, which must be unlocked by playing the developer related games included in the collection.

Is would not be fair to judge these games by today’s standards, they do not come with high definition graphics or digital surround sound. What they may hold for some of us are great memories, which we may perhaps share with the younger generations.

European Hedgehogs.. mostly wild

April 6th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Video Games

It’s important to recollect that hedgehogs are not just pets. In the UK and Europe hedgehogs run wild and are a particularly crucial part of their local ecosystem.

ECU Hedgehog - photograph thanks to Bart truck Oijen guarded by law in most ECU countries, one would think hedgehogs are safe and secure, but in fact they are in consistent danger of extinction by the hands of humans.. Regularly misunderstood and drenched in folklore, hedgehogs are as much at risk from do-gooders as they are from those that would like to see them dead. In traditional times, and as late as the fifteenth century, hedgehogs ( or urchins as they were then known ) were often charged with being hags in animal form.

They were also appearing on menus of the day. Conrad of Megenberg considered their flesh to be good for a number of infirmities : “…the flesh of the hedgehog is healthy for the stomach and bolsters the same. Similarly it hath a power of drying and relieving the gut.

It deals with the water of dropsy and is of great help to like are inclined to the illness called elephantiasis” though conditions have improved somewhat for the poor hedgehog, folks still have myths that lead to their sickness and death on a virtually daily basis. Numerous hedgehogs are rubbed out on roadways each year in spite of attempts to educate the general public and the building of special “hedgehog tunnels” under roadways, built to try to give the animals a safe way to go around busy roads. Many owners still put out a dish of milk and bread to persuade hedgehogs to remain in their gardens. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, making this convention more damaging than advantageous. 2 ECU Hedgehogs Care has to be taken before burning a pile of leaves or when turning over mulch piles since hedgehogs like to burrow into them to sleep and sleep. Many hapless hedgehogs have been carelessly burned to death or impaled on the end of garden forks as a consequence of failing to first check the pile. Swimming pools can similarly prove a source of danger since hedgehogs can fall in and, with no real way out, drown. Pool owners should install a wooden ramp or a chunk of thick rope to permit hedgehogs that might fall in to climb out on their own.

Archive for April, 2009

Hedgehog Quills

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Ultimate Genesis Collection

European Hedgehogs.. mostly wild

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