. Bonner zoologische Beiträge : Herausgeber: Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn. Biology; Zoology. On the hedgehog of Cyprus 119 Fig. 2: Penis of a Cyprus Long-eared hedge- hog (PB 382). Scale = 2 mm. recorded in pine forests and only very few in the Mesaoria plain which is a dry area of intensive corn growing. Distribution in Cyprus was recorded by specimens killed on the road (Fig. 3). This was started by Spitzenberger (1978) who maintained a restriction to coastal lowlands. In fact the hedgehog is distributed up to about 900 m above sea level (e. g. Sykopetra,
. Bonner zoologische Beiträge : Herausgeber: Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn. Biology; Zoology. On the hedgehog of Cyprus 119 Fig. 2: Penis of a Cyprus Long-eared hedge- hog (PB 382). Scale = 2 mm. recorded in pine forests and only very few in the Mesaoria plain which is a dry area of intensive corn growing. Distribution in Cyprus was recorded by specimens killed on the road (Fig. 3). This was started by Spitzenberger (1978) who maintained a restriction to coastal lowlands. In fact the hedgehog is distributed up to about 900 m above sea level (e. g. Sykopetra, Limassol district) but it is quite rare at these hights. The seeming concentration of records in the western area indicated by Fig. 3 just reflects the author's main observa- tion area in the Paphos district. During the day hedgehogs hide in stone walls, under trees or bushes or under rub- bish. A burrow was never found but it seems likely that Cyprus Hemiechinus dig bur- rows the same way as they do in Israel (Schoenfeld & Yom-Tov 1985). In the evening they appear after dusk. Although preferring darkness hedgehogs in villages do not hesitate to cross an illuminated open field. A specimen kept in captivity for three days just froze for some minutes when light was switched on. As food they take mainly insects which they find by a rapid stop-and-go walk while listening for prey. When stopping their ears move like those of a bat to find the origin of a sound. When the position of an insect or snail is located the hedgehog finds it by sniffing. Besides invertebrates small vertebrates like lizards and young mice are taken as well as fruits and remains of human food. As we were in Cyprus neither in summer nor in autumn there is only little informa- tion about the annual life history. Until May none of the dissected females showed any sign of pregnancy. Bate (1903) reports on three young ones which she got in June 1902. This would correspond to the situation in Israel where Scho
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