Hedgehogs are medium-sized or large rodents with a stocky body structure, the length of the tail is not more than half the length of the body and head, the limbs are short; the back, sides, part of the tail are covered with needles or spikes up to 35 cm long. Head and body length range: 35–93 cm, tail length: 2.5–26 cm; weight: 1.5–30 kg. Occurs in Asia Minor, almost everywhere in the Middle East, Iraq, Iran and further east to southern China. It is found almost throughout India and Ceylon, as well as in some parts of Southeast Asia. On the territory of the former USSR, porcupine can be found in southern Central Asia and the Caucasus. The porcupine is mainly a mountain animal that also lives in the foothill plains, including cultivated ones, although it is rarely found in sandy deserts.