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Hedgehogs are an important part of the ecosystem of Menorca. They are well known animals for their characteristic covering of needles. These spines are nothing more than hairs filled with keratin which stiffens them. The hedgehogs in Menorca are the smallest found in Europe. It is usually called the African hedgehog because it is native to north Africa. From there it spread along the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, Malta, the Canaries and all the Balearic Islands. The oldest hedgehog remains found in Menorca date from the 13^th century (Morales and Rofes, 2008), from which it is surmised that it was the Almohads who introduced them, and it is documented that the hedgehog was appreciated both for food and for being used for medical purposes. Continue reading Fauna from Menorca: the hedgehog →

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The Mediterranean tortoise (Testudo Hermanni), called simply, in Menorca, the land tortoise, is a species which lives only on the continent of Europe, from the north east of the Iberian Peninsular to Turkey and in the principal Mediterranean islands. There are two different subspecies. That which lives in Menorca is exclusive to the western Mediterranean. Wild tortoises are found only in the Balearic Islands of Mallorca and Menorca, where they were introduced by us, it is not known when. Genetic studies have been made that determine two different origins of the Menorcan tortoise. One origin is very old, of some thousands of years, coming from Sicily or Sardinia. The other origin is much more recent coming from the continental tortoises. The tortoises from the south of the island are of the oldest origin on the island, while those in the north originate from the continent. Continue reading Fauna from Menorca: the Mediterranean tortoise →