Frog against snake. This is not just a plot for an old Soviet cartoon. In the wild, such a meeting is a real battle of characters. Who beats who? The spiky ball or the slippery threat? Myths portray the hedgehog as a fearless winner over vipers. But what is the truth? Let's figure it out without fairy tales. And I warn you right away: the truth will be more complicated and more interesting than any legend. First myth: the hedgehog eats snakes like seeds It is often said: the hedgehog is the main enemy of vipers. He catches, kills, eats them. And that's why it is useful to attract hedgehogs to the garden. There is a grain of truth here. The hedgehog can indeed attack a small or weakened snake. He does it skillfully: first he strangles the snake with his paws, then he bites the spine with sharp teeth. There are cases when the hedgehog has eaten a viper, leaving only the head with poisonous fangs. But this is not the rule, but an exception. The main diet of the hedgehog is not snakes, but beetles, caterpillars, snails, worms, occasionally frogs. A snake is a heavy and dangerous prey, on which the hedgehog goes only in times of extreme hunger or despair. A large adult viper can attack a hedgehog, and the outcome is not obvious. Research by zoologists shows that snakes are found in the stomachs of hedgehogs in less than 2 percent of cases. That is, the hedgehog is not a snake-eater by nature. He is rather an opportunist: if a small snake comes along, he will eat it. If not, he will live happily ever after without it. Second myth: the hedgehog is not afraid of snake venom This is the most enduring myth. It is said that the hedgehog has immunity to the venom of the viper, so he dares to enter into battle. And again, the truth is more complicated. The hedgehog does indeed have partial resistance to venom. Due to the special structure of the receptors in the nervous system to which snake toxins are attached, the venom acts more slowly on the hedgehog than on a mouse or a hum ... Read more