Common Hedgehog
Erinaceus europaeus
When encountering strong or unusual scents, hedgehogs perform 'self-anointing,' covering their spines in a frothy saliva to camouflage their scent or deter predators.
- Scientific name
- Erinaceus europaeus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Eulipotyphla › Erinaceidae › Erinaceus
- IUCN Red List status
- Near Threatened
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Hedgerows, woodland edges, grasslands, suburban gardens, and parks.
- Diet
- Insectivorous/Omnivorous, feeding on beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, slugs, snails, and occasionally small vertebrates or fallen fruit.
- Range
- Europe, Western Asia, New Zealand (introduced)
- Size
- 20-30 cm long, weighing 600-1200 grams
- Lifespan
- 2-5 years in the wild
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation from fencing, road mortality, intensive agriculture, pesticide use, and injuries from garden machinery.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and highly defensive. If encountered, observe quietly from a distance of 2 meters to avoid scaring them into curling up. Do not touch with bare hands as their spines can prick and they may carry ringworm or ticks. If you must handle an injured hedgehog, use thick gardening gloves. Never feed them milk (they are lactose intolerant); offer fresh water and wet cat food instead.
The European hedgehog ( Erinaceus europaeus ), also known as the West European hedgehog or common hedgehog , is a hedgehog species found in Europe, from Iberia and Italy northwards into Scandinavia. It is a generally common and widely distributed species that can survive across a wide range of habitat types. It is a well-known species, and a favorite in European gardens, both for its endearing appearance and its preference for eating a range of garden pests. While populations...
Photo: Michael Gäbler, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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