some worms and a tiny amount of slugs and snails. The idea that these animals eat only slugs and snails is a myth; this type of food makes up only about 5% of their natural diet. The breakdown of a wild hedgehog's diet is as follows: 30% beetles, 25% caterpillars, 11% earthworms, 10% bird eggs, 5% mammal meat, 5% slugs and snails, 3% millipedes, 3% earwigs, 2% bees, 1% bird meat and 5% that has been undefined by researchers. This diet breakdown is not specific to Hemiechinus auritus but a generalization about most hedgehog species. More specific to this species, Hemiechinus auritus is an insectivore that forages in the early evening looking for insects, myriapods, gastropods, batrachians (amphibians), small vertebrates and plants. It may even eat snakes or other vertebrates by curling up to protect its underside as it eats the struggling prey. They prefer to live near a water source. However, if this is not available they depend on their food source for their water intake The long-eared hedgehog is active throughout much of the year and hibernates for shorter periods of time. The longest reported hibernation is 40 days. This hibernation may come in the summer or the winter. Also this hedgehog will travel up to 9 km during the night in search of food. Predators The long-eared hedgehog is hunted by the Eurasian eagle owl and makes up about 14% of the predatory birds' diet. It has been reported as prey for the Pharaoh eagle owl in the Azraq Nature Reserve in Jordan. The Long-eared hedgehog is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Moniliformis cryptosaudi. Distribution and habitat Hemiechinus auritus has a range that extends from the eastern Mediterranean region, through the arid and steppe areas of Asia to western Pakistan in the south; and from eastern Ukraine through Mongolia (Gobi desert), to China (Xinjiang). This species is native to the following countries: Afghanistan, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The long-eared hedgehog prefers to stay in intermediate climates, avoiding the hot desert and the northern colder mountain areas. They also prefer areas with moderate rainfall of 100–400 mm. The long-eared hedgehog inhabits a few different types of dry steppes, semi-deserts, and deserts. It prefers dry river valleys, gullies, forest shelter belts, abandoned irrigation ditches and shrubby areas, and often settles in oases