Hedgehog Facts: Get to Know This Spiny-Backed Nocturnal Little Animal

The hedgehog is a small mammal belonging to the order Eulipotyphla, family Erinaceidae, widely distributed across the woodlands, scrub and grasslands of Europe, Asia and Africa. Its most iconic feature is the dense covering of stiff spines on its back; when threatened, it curls its body into a ball and raises its sharp spines to protect its soft belly, and it is from this coat of spines that it gets its name.

The hedgehog has a plump, rounded body, short limbs and a long, pointed snout. By day it mostly hides in grass or rock crevices to rest, coming out only at night to forage, and its senses of smell and hearing are quite keen. It feeds mainly on insects, but also eats earthworms, snails and other small animals, and occasionally takes fruit. In a single night it can eat a large number of pests, so in farmland ecosystems it is regarded as a beneficial animal. When food becomes scarce in winter, hedgehogs in temperate regions mostly enter hibernation, surviving the cold winter on the fat stored in their bodies.

Common hedgehogs broadly include the European hedgehog, the Amur hedgehog found in China, and the African pygmy hedgehog often kept as a pet, among other groups. They differ slightly in body size, spines and coat colour, but their habit of curling up to defend themselves is basically the same. It should be noted that wild hedgehogs are protected wild animals, and catching, trading or keeping them privately is not compliant; if you like them, you may as well learn about them through observation and educational material.

Many people wonder whether a hedgehog's spines can hurt a person. Its spines are hard and being pricked is painful, but usually causes no serious injury; however, wild hedgehogs may carry parasites or pathogens, so after contact you should wash your hands and disinfect them. Overall, the hedgehog is a little ace at helping control insect pests, and understanding and treating it kindly benefits both farmland and the natural environment.