Scientific name: Erinaceus europaeus
Family: Erinaceidae
Appearance: Hedgehogs are brown with spines covering their backs.
Body length: 25 cm Tail length: 2-3 cm
Weight: up to 2 kg
Natural history: Hedgehogs mainly eat invertebrates but have a varied diet that also includes birds’ eggs and amphibians. They are regularly found in gardens, where they eat pests such as slugs. Nonetheless, urban development and habitat loss contribute to their current decline. Hedgehogs are known for curling into balls with their spines facing outwards to protect themselves from predators. However, so many are being killed on roads that they are now losing this trait to better escape cars. Hedgehogs hibernate through the winter. They may wake from hibernation occasionally to find additional food or move nests.
(C) Giles Watson (shared under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license)