by Shannon Lin

Created on: December 09, 2009

"You mean, Sonic?"

"No, no I mean, the actual spiny mammal. A hedgehog."

"Whats that?"

Well, a hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the sub family Erinaceinae. The hedgehog’s signature spines make it seem like a cousin of the porcupine, but the two animals are very different. A hedgehog’s quills aren’t barbed like a porcupine’s, nor are they as sharp.

There are 15 known species of hedgehog in Europe, Asia and Africa. They have also been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. This prickly little animal has gotten much popularity an exotic pet, and is quite useful too. At home, a hedgehog might sniff out garden pests with its sense of hearing and smell.

These quills are a hedgehog’s main defense, though not the only one. A hedgehog might sometimes attempt to run away, before rolling into a ball with its quills sticking out. Desert hedgehogs may sometimes ram into a predator, since desert hedgehogs’ predators are different from forest ones, or even long-eared ones.

Another defense is process called anting, (typical bird behavior) or anointing. A hedgehog usually does this when arriving in a new place. This involves the hedgehog licking or biting a new smell source, and then making similarly scented saliva in its mouth. It then licks itself all over with this froth, and “camouflaging” with the smell of the new place.

Hedgehogs are mainly nocturnal, sleeping under brush or rock in the wild. They are quite unlikely to come out in the daytime, but it varies from species to species. Most hedgehogs hibernate, especially if they live in the wild. This also depends on temperature, species, and food amounts.

They are also omnivores, with a diet that ranges from berries to frogs to insects. Food varies with species, though, so an Afghan Hedgehog eats mostly berries after hibernation, but forest hedgehogs, are mainly insectivores.

The gestation period is usually 35-38 days and usually to a litter of 1-11, depending on the species. The young usually stays with the mother for up to 7 weeks. Parents have been known to eat their young, especially the fathers, and the mothers, if they think the babies are threatened.

Hedgehogs are actually a great, environmental pest control. Many people in Europe lure hedgehogs into their gardens, inviting them to eat up the pests there. Hedgehogs can as much as 200 grams of insects in one night, making them very useful to gardeners.

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