Week 3 Wildlife Reading 3 Leggi il brano inserendo le frasi mancanti che trovi di seguito in ordine sparso. Help the hedgehog Hedgehogs are mammals of the order Insectivora: it means that they eat insects; 1 . They have long, quick-moving noses and strong jaws that can easily crack the shells of snails and beetles. In winter months, they hide, but they do not hibernate. In winter they sleep and only leave their beds to feed and, sometimes, to find a new place to go back to sleep. During this period, they need a good fat body to generate heat so that they can survive the winter cold. 2 . Hedgehogs have no natural predators and the greatest threat to them is our way of life. Many of them, in fact, are killed in road accidents. When threatened, the hedgehog rolls itself into a tight ball of spines until the threat goes away, 3 . This is one of the reasons why their numbers have declined by 25% over the last decade, together with the loss of their natural habitat. 4 . Householders who have visits from hedgehogs are encouraged to offer them food, but no milk, and a safe place to stay in their gardens. In other cultures, the hedgehog is a source of food or it is considered as a medicine, for example, in Ancient Egypt or in Ancient Rome. It is also the protagonist of myths, legends and tales, such as Hans and the hedgehog by the Brothers Grimm. a so cars run them over. b They feed on small invertebrates, such as slugs and snails. c There are projects to help this useful animal. d Secondly, they need a safe and sheltered place and, finally, access to a food supply when they emerge in spring. USEFUL WORDS beetle = coleottero, scarafaggio; to feed (on) = nutrirsi (di); heat = calore; hedgehog = riccio; to hibernate = andare in letargo; hide = nascondere/rsi; householder = proprietario di casa; jaw = mascella; loss = perdita; to roll oneself = appallottolarsi; to run over = investire; sheltered = riparato; slug = lumaca; snail = chiocciola; supply = scorta; threat = minaccia; threatened = minacciato; tight = stretto. 26