Explore the vast range of titles available.

Human leptospirosis is a zoonotic and potentially fatal disease that has increasingly been reported in both developing and developed countries, including France. However, our understanding of the basic aspects of the epidemiology of this disease, including the source of Leptospira serogroup Australis infections in humans and domestic animals, remains incomplete. We investigated the genetic diversity of Leptospira in 28 species of wildlife other than rats using variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) and multispacer sequence typing (MST). The DNA of pathogenic Leptospira was detected in the kidney tissues of 201 individuals out of 3,738 tested individuals. A wide diversity, including 50 VNTR profiles and 8 MST profiles, was observed. Hedgehogs and mustelid species had the highest risk of being infected (logistic regression, OR = 66.8, CI95% = 30.9-144 and OR = 16.7, CI95% = 8.7-31.8, respectively). Almost all genetic profiles obtained from the hedgehogs were related to Leptospira interrogans Australis, suggesting the latter as a host-adapted bacterium, whereas mustelid species were infected by various genotypes, suggesting their interaction with Leptospira was different. By providing an inventory of the circulating strains of Leptospira and by pointing to hedgehogs as a potential reservoir of L. interrogans Australis, our study advances current knowledge on Leptospira animal carriers, and this information could serve to enhance epidemiological investigations in the future.

The late Miocene (11.5–5.5 million years ago) was a period of faunal change for small mammal communities. The evolution of several climatic parameters has greatly impacted faunas from Europe, and the surviving species also had to deal with the competitive pressure of new migrant species into Europe. In this context, mammal groups having high sensitivity to climatic parameters, such as temperature and humidity, show peculiar patterns of evolution. This is the case for the Erinaceidae (hedgehogs and gymnures) and the extinct family Dimylidae, well recorded in the fauna from the late Miocene of Slovakia. At least six Erinaceidae and two Dimylidae were present in Slovakia during that time, as shown by material extracted from the localities of Borský Svätý Jur, Krásno, Pezinok, Šalgovce, Studienka, and Triblavina. Both families were extremely abundant during the early part of the late Miocene, the Vallesian (11.5–9.0 million years ago), supporting the idea that central Europe played an important role in the preservation of high paleodiversity of insectivore species. However, the abundance of the Erinaceidae and Dimylidae strongly declined afterward, eventually leading to the extinction of the Dimylidae soon after the Vallesian. On a smaller scale, the material described from the late Miocene of Slovakia brings a lot of new information about the morphology, variability, and phylogeny of the identified species, namely ‘Schizogalerix’ voesendorfensis, Schizogalerix cf. S. moedlingensis, Lantanotherium sanmigueli, Atelerix cf. A. depereti, Atelerix aff. A. depereti, cf. Postpalerinaceus sp. indet., Erinaceinae gen. indet. sp. indet., Plesiodimylus chantrei, and Metacordylodon aff. M. schlosseri. The families Erinaceidae and Dimylidae are represented in the late Miocene localities of Slovakia (Borský Svätý Jur, Krásno, Pezinok, Šalgovce, Studienka, and Triblavina) by at least six hedgehog species—‘Schizogalerix’ voesendorfensis (Rabeder, 1973); Schizogalerix cf. S. moedlingensis (Rabeder, 1973); Lantanotherium sanmigueliVillalta and Crusafont, 1944; Atelerix cf. A. deperetiMein and Ginsburg, 2002; Atelerix aff. A. depereti, cf. Postpalerinaceus sp. indet., and Erinaceinae gen. indet. sp. indet.—and two dimylid species—Plesiodimylus chantreiGaillard, 1897; and Metacordylodon aff. M. schlosseri (Andreae, 1904). Material of L. sanmigueli from the western Carpathians was investigated, revealing broad variability in all samples. Additionally, the deciduous premolars of LantanotheriumFilhol, 1888 are described here for the first time. Erinaceid species are frequent in the Vallesian but their abundance strongly declined afterward. As an exception, Schizogalerix Engesser, 1980 re-entered the Danube and Vienna basins during MN11, likely from eastern Europe. Members of Erinaceinae display low diversity during the late Miocene of central Europe, which tends to support a pan-European diversity phenomenon. The humidity-dependent Dimylidae spp. were abundant during the late Vallesian. Rare finds of PlesiodimylusGaillard, 1897 confirm the survival of this family into the early MN11 in the Pannonian region.

The hedgehog genus Mesechinus (Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla) is currently comprised of four species, M. dauuricus , M. hughi , M. miodon , and M. wangi . Except for M. wangi , which is found in southwestern China, the other three species are mainly distributed in northern China and adjacent Mongolia and Russia. From 2018 to 2023, we collected seven Mesechinus specimens from Anhui and Zhejiang provinces, eastern China. Here, we evaluate the taxonomic and phylogenetic status of these specimens by integrating molecular, morphometric, and karyotypic approaches. Our results indicate that the Anhui and Zhejiang specimens are distinct from the four previously recognized species and are a new species. We formally described it here as Mesechinus orientalis sp. nov. It is the only Mesechinus species occurring in eastern China and is geographically distant from all known congeners. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to M. hughi , but it is distinguishable from that species by the combination of its smaller size, shorter spines, and several cranial characteristics. Mesechinus orientalis sp. nov. is a sister to the lineage composed of M. hughi and M. wangi from which it diverged approximately 1.10 Ma.

Appropriate nesting sites are needed for the presence of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in an area, along with food availability. However, little attention has been paid to them in the literature. This study aimed at analysing, for the first time, the environmental characteristics of nesting sites chosen by hedgehogs, their spatial distribution and the effect of sex and season on them in two types of urban parks in southeastern Spain. A total of 31 hedgehogs were equipped with GPS devices, and 130 hedgehog nests were located and described. Both sexes had a similar number of nests; however, the spatial distribution of the male nests was larger, and they changed nests more frequently than females. The environment around the nests and hosting structures used also differed between the sexes, with males using a higher variety of nesting structures available and females being more selective. The differences in topography and habitat composition of the two urban parks also affected hedgehog nesting ecology, especially in reference to artificial elements like cat feeders. Further studies of nest locations at a microhabitat level are needed to contribute to a better understanding of a hedgehog’s requirements, fostering the design of more effective conservation strategies.

Both the rhino and the hedgehog protect their bodies with formidable armour. Are these defences really what they seem? About the series: David Attenborough has spent a lifetime documenting the natural world, meeting a great number of extraordinary creatures. Now, in this second and longer run of his popular Natural Curiosities series, he reveals another group of bewildering animals that intrigue him. We discover the amazing frog that freezes solid to survive winter, and the female Komodo dragon's ability to reproduce without ever meeting a male. Other curiosities include some of nature's great tricksters and two creatures that have attracted an undeserved bad reputation. David takes viewers on a special journey through the weird and wonderful natural world to find out more.