European Hedgehog

European Hedgehog
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Insectivora Family: Erinaceidae Subfamily: Erinaceinae Genus: Erinaceus Species: europaeus
Binomial name
Erinaceus europaeus Linnaeus, 1758

The European Hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, is a hedgehog, a mammal in the order Insectivora. It is found throughout the Palaearctic region, except the Himalayas and North Africa. It is rarely found above 60°N in latitude.

This hedgehog is about 20cm in length, and lives in woodland, farmland and suburban areas. It is nocturnal, and if alarmed will roll itself into a ball, protecting itself against potential predators with its spines.

Unlike the smaller, warmer climate species, the European Hedgehog may hibernate in the winter. It feeds on slugs, earthworms, beetles and other insects, and sometimes frogs, small rodents, young birds and birds' eggs.

This species has become a serious pest in the Western Isles of Scotland, where introduced hedgehogs eat the eggs of ground-nesting waders such as Snipe, Dunlin, Redshank and Lapwing.

da:pindsvin de:Europäischer Igel fi:Siili fr:Hérisson he:קיפוד ja:ハリネズミ nl:egel sv:Igelkott tokipona:soweli lili pi linja kiwen