Hedgehog

Photo: Jo Hermans

Latin name:
Erinaceus europaeus

Characteristics:
Hedgehogs are easily recognized by the quills on their back and the top of their heads. When danger is imminent, the hedgehog can contract an orbicular muscle and roll up into a prickly ball.
Hedgehogs make all kinds of sounds: they can snore, snort, sniff, and make smacking sounds.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals. During the day, they sleep in well-hidden nests of leaves. For example, under bundles of branches or blackberry bushes. They hibernate from November/December to April/May, during this time their body temperature drops from about 35 to about 10 degrees Celsius.

Reproduction:
Hedgehogs are solitary animals and do not form permanent pairs. They do have a more or less permanent habitat, but they do not have territory that they defend. Nests for baby hedgehogs are well hidden, for example, in a compost heap, pile of branch or rubbish heap.
Hedgehog mating season is quite long: from May to August. Their mating ritual also takes a while; it can take a long time for a female to accept a male and flatten her quills for mating. The gestation period is about 5 weeks, and a female will have between 2 and 10 baby hedgehogs. Baby hedgehogs are born hairless and blind. After a few hours, however, white quills appear. Within a few weeks, these will be replaced by a second and a third generation of brown, cream-coloured spines. These quills remain in place for about 18 months before gradually being replaced. After two weeks, the eyes and ears open. The mother hedgehog takes care of her young by herself, and, after about three weeks, they go out with her at night. After about 6 weeks, the young are independent. They will stay together to hibernate in the nest in which they were born. The female makes a new winter nest for herself.

Diet:
Hedgehogs use their good sense of smell and hearing to detect beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, earwigs, snails, and berries. They also eat snails, shell and all. Sometimes, they eat eggs.