An insectivorous mammal native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; body covered with spines; tail short; many species dig burrows; young born with spines hidden beneath the skin; adults coat spines with saliva. In heraldry, the hedgehog is called a herisson. (Family: Erinaceidae, 12 species.)
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European Hedgehog |
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Atelerix |
A hedgehog is any of the small spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Insectivora. There are 15 species of hedgehog in four genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand.
Physical description
Hedgehogs are easily distinguished by their spines, which are hollow hairs made stiff with keratin. However, spines normally come out when a hedgehog sheds baby spines and replaces them with adult spines around the first year.
Hedgehogs are most closely related to gymnures and other insectivores, including moles, shrews, tenrecs, the extinct deinogalerix and solenodons.
Behavior/Predators
A defense that all species of hedgehogs possess is the ability to roll into a tight ball, causing all of the spines to point outwards. However, its effectiveness depends on the number of spines, and since some of the desert hedgehogs evolved to carry less weight, they are much more likely to try to run away and sometimes even attack the intruder, trying to ram into the intruder with its spines, leaving rolling as a last resort. This results in a different number of predators for different species: while forest hedgehogs have relatively few, primarily birds (especially owls) and ferrets, smaller species like long-eared hedgehogs are preyed on by foxes, wolves and mongooses.
All hedgehogs are primarily nocturnal, although different species can be more or less likely to come out in the daytime. Again, different species can have slightly different habits, but in general hedgehogs dig out dens for shelter. Hedgehogs are fairly vocal, and communicate not only in a series of grunts and snuffles, but sometimes in loud squeals (depending on species).
Hedgehogs occasionally perform a ritual called 'anointing'. It is not known what the specific purpose of this ritual is, but some experts believe anointing camouflages the hedgehog with the new scent of the area and provides a possible poison or source of infection to any predator that gets poked by their spines.
Hedgehogs perform well with other pets, including cats and dogs.
Diet
Although belonging to insectivore family, hedgehogs are almost omnivorous. Although forest hedgehogs, most well-known to Europeans, are indeed mainly insectivores, this is not necessarily true for other species.
In areas that have hedgehogs in the wild, they are often welcomed as a natural form of garden pest control. The common pet hedgehog (African Pigmey Hedgehog) can however have a small portion of cottage cheese as a dietary supplement.
The hedgehog's dilemma is based the apparent danger of a male hedgehog being poked while mating with a female hedgehog.
Hedgehogs have a relatively long lifespan for their size (a mouse is 2 years and a large rat is 3-5 years). Larger species of hedgehogs live 4-7 years in the wild (some have been recorded up to 16 years).
Domesticated hedgehogs
The most common pet species of hedgehog are hybrids of the white-bellied hedgehog or four-toed hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) and the Algerian hedgehog (A. It is smaller than the European hedgehog, and thus is sometimes called African pygmy hedgehog. Other species kept as pets are the Egyptian long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus auritus) and the Indian long-eared hedgehog (H.
The purchase of domesticated hedgehogs has seen a considerable increase in the last few years due to their apparently innocent and playful looks.
Pest control
Hedgehogs are a powerful form of pest control.
One problem with using hedgehogs for garden pest control is the use of chemical insecticide. This causes many hedgehog deaths where pet hedgehogs eat contaminated bugs within the house.
In areas where hedgehogs have been introduced, such as New Zealand and the islands of Scotland, the hedgehog itself has become a pest.
Hedgehog diseases
There are many diseases common to hedgehogs, mostly fatal. These include cancer, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and wobbly hedgehog syndrome.
Cancer is very common in hedgehogs.
Wobbly hedgehog syndrome is very similar to multiple sclerosis in humans.
Human influence
As with most small mammals living around humans, cars pose a great threat to hedgehogs.
Hedgehogs are a food source in many cultures. When the hedgehog is taken out of the oven, the plaster is smashed, also bringing down the bones and spikes of the hedgehog, leaving only the meat. Domesticated hedgehogs display this behavior by getting their head stuck in tubes (commonly, toilet paper tubes) and walking around with the tube on their head.
During the Middle Ages hedgehogs were seen as a source of food.
Genera and species
Subfamily Erinaceinae (Hedgehogs)
Genus Atelerix (African hedgehogs) Four-toed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) North African Hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) Southern African Hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis) Somali Hedgehog (Atelerix sclateri) Genus Erinaceus (Woodland hedgehogs) Amur Hedgehog (Erinaceus amurensis) Korean hedgehog (Erinaceus amurensis dealbatus) Eastern European Hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) Western European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) Genus Hemiechinus (Steppe hedgehogs, Desert hedgehogs) Desert Hedgehog (Hemiechinus aethiopicus) Long-eared Hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus) Afghan Hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus megalotis) Indian Long-eared Hedgehog (Hemiechinus collaris) Brandt's Hedgehog (Hemiechinus hypomelas) Indian Hedgehog (Hemiechinus micropus) Bare-bellied Hedgehog (Hemiechinus nudiventris) Genus Mesechinus (Steppe hedgehogs) Daurian Hedgehog (Mesechinus dauuricus) Hugh's Hedgehog (Mesechinus hughi)
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