A Much Loved Species- European Hedgehog
Latin name: Erinaceus europaeus
Widely distributed throughout Western and central Europe and found nearly everywhere in the UK, the European hedgehog is a much-loved mammal with its characteristic prickly defensive spines playing an important role n its popularity and familiarity.
Hedgehogs are found across a rather broad range of habitats. This encompasses woodland, grassland, farmland and even urban settlements. They prefer to be present on low lying hills, although they have been recorded venturing and settling in mountainous terrain. The species are sparse in areas of moorland, marshland and coniferous forests. They are however, a common visitor to gardens, reinforcing their warm reputation on a national scale.
The typical European hedgehog is brown in colour, with its soft underbelly protected with up to 6000 brown and white spines attached to its back. Body length varies between approximately 15-30 centimetres, whilst adults can potentially weigh just over a kilogram when fully grown. Males also tend to be slightly larger than their female counterparts. Hedgehogs do possess a tail, although this feature is large vestigial, with it playing no actual role or performing a particular purpose.
Hedgehogs are omnivores, consuming a vast quantity of insects and other invertebrates before supplementing this by consuming various fruits and fungi. Their favoured food largely revolves around the arthropods, with ground beetles and millipedes frequently consumed in large quantities. Hedgehogs can also fall victim to predation, despite their prickly spines and ability to curl into a protective ball. Badgers, foxes and pine martens have been known to catch and kill hedgehogs as have two avian predators, the European eagle owl and the notorious golden eagle.
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| Image courtesy of Ches Moonie. |
Hedgehogs are found across a rather broad range of habitats. This encompasses woodland, grassland, farmland and even urban settlements. They prefer to be present on low lying hills, although they have been recorded venturing and settling in mountainous terrain. The species are sparse in areas of moorland, marshland and coniferous forests. They are however, a common visitor to gardens, reinforcing their warm reputation on a national scale.
The typical European hedgehog is brown in colour, with its soft underbelly protected with up to 6000 brown and white spines attached to its back. Body length varies between approximately 15-30 centimetres, whilst adults can potentially weigh just over a kilogram when fully grown. Males also tend to be slightly larger than their female counterparts. Hedgehogs do possess a tail, although this feature is large vestigial, with it playing no actual role or performing a particular purpose.
Hedgehogs are omnivores, consuming a vast quantity of insects and other invertebrates before supplementing this by consuming various fruits and fungi. Their favoured food largely revolves around the arthropods, with ground beetles and millipedes frequently consumed in large quantities. Hedgehogs can also fall victim to predation, despite their prickly spines and ability to curl into a protective ball. Badgers, foxes and pine martens have been known to catch and kill hedgehogs as have two avian predators, the European eagle owl and the notorious golden eagle.
Breeding season begins after the hedgehogs awaken and emerge from their long hibernation period. Most pregnancies occur between the months of May and July, with gestation usually last approximately one month. The average litter numbers between 4-6 young, which the female rears entirely on her own. The young are born completely blind, whilst they possess only a few spines on their back. After 11 days they can successfully roll into a ball and by 6 weeks they are also completely weaned. A hedgehogs average life span is approximately 3 years, although some wild individuals have been recorded living for up to a decade.
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