European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Eulipotyphla
Family:Erinaceidae
Genus:Erinaceus
Species:E. europaeus
Binomial name
Erinaceus europaeus
The Hedgehog – An Gráinneog (Erinaceus europaeus)
The hedgehog is a familiar species in the Irish countryside. It is a small creature - weighing between 600-900 grammes and is about 25 cm in length. Its back is covered with over 5,000 brown, grey, and white coloured spines and it has coarse hair on its belly and its face. When a hedgehog feels threatened, it rolls itself into a ball and its spines help protect it from many predators.
Habitat & Diet
The hedgehog habitat is mainly hedgerows, woodlands and meadows, but they are also commonly found in sub-urban gardens. Within their habitat, they normally have a few sleeping nests. As they are nocturnal creatures, it is not until after dusk that they leave these nests to forage for food. The hedgehog rustles through leaf litter looking for insects such as beetles and caterpillars, and invertebrates including earthworms and slugs. They also feed on fruits and berries, especially in the early autumn when these food sources are readily available.
Hibernation
During the winter months, when food supplies become more scarce, hedgehogs enter into a period of hibernation. Hibernation is akin to a period of deep sleep. The hedgehogs body temperature drops to match the temperature of its surroundings and its heart rate and metabolism slow down. It lives off its fat reserves until the end of hibernation which is usually in March/April.
Breeding
Hedgehogs breed between March and October. After a gestation period of about 32 days, three to five hedgehog ‘pups’ are born. Within about two weeks, the pups’ eyes start to open and spines begin to appear on their backs. They are independent at six weeks old and as hedgehogs are solitary creatures, the pups then go their separate ways.
Interesting Hedgehog Facts
Hedgehogs have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell - so good that they can even smell the scent of an earthworm underground
Hedgehogs can swim but can become trapped in pools and ponds with steep sides
As many as 500 fleas live amongst a hedgehogs’ spines
Hedgehogs can wander for up to 3 km a night in search of food
Young hedgehogs are called ‘pups’ or ‘hoglets’
The Latin for ‘hedgehog’ is Erinaceus which means ‘spiky wall’
The Irish word for hedgehog is ‘gráinneog’ - meaning ‘horrible one’
Hedgehogs occasionally perform an unusual ritual of ‘self-anointing’. This occurs when they come across a strong or an unfamiliar scent. The hedgehog will lick and bite the source and then form scented frothy saliva which it pastes over its spines with its tongue. Some believe that this ‘anointing’ camouflages the hedgehog with the scent of the area and possibly provides a poison or a source of infection to predators that come into contact with its spines.
European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Eulipotyphla
Family:Erinaceidae
Genus:Erinaceus
Species:E. europaeus
Binomial name
Erinaceus europaeus
The Hedgehog – An Gráinneog (Erinaceus europaeus)
The hedgehog is a familiar species in the Irish countryside. It is a small creature - weighing between 600-900 grammes and is about 25 cm in length. Its back is covered with over 5,000 brown, grey, and white coloured spines and it has coarse hair on its belly and its face. When a hedgehog feels threatened, it rolls itself into a ball and its spines help protect it from many predators.
Habitat & Diet
The hedgehog habitat is mainly hedgerows, woodlands and meadows, but they are also commonly found in sub-urban gardens. Within their habitat, they normally have a few sleeping nests. As they are nocturnal creatures, it is not until after dusk that they leave these nests to forage for food. The hedgehog rustles through leaf litter looking for insects such as beetles and caterpillars, and invertebrates including earthworms and slugs. They also feed on fruits and berries, especially in the early autumn when these food sources are readily available.
Hibernation
During the winter months, when food supplies become more scarce, hedgehogs enter into a period of hibernation. Hibernation is akin to a period of deep sleep. The hedgehogs body temperature drops to match the temperature of its surroundings and its heart rate and metabolism slow down. It lives off its fat reserves until the end of hibernation which is usually in March/April.
Breeding
Hedgehogs breed between March and October. After a gestation period of about 32 days, three to five hedgehog ‘pups’ are born. Within about two weeks, the pups’ eyes start to open and spines begin to appear on their backs. They are independent at six weeks old and as hedgehogs are solitary creatures, the pups then go their separate ways.
Interesting Hedgehog Facts
Hedgehogs have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell - so good that they can even smell the scent of an earthworm underground
Hedgehogs can swim but can become trapped in pools and ponds with steep sides
As many as 500 fleas live amongst a hedgehogs’ spines
Hedgehogs can wander for up to 3 km a night in search of food
Young hedgehogs are called ‘pups’ or ‘hoglets’
The Latin for ‘hedgehog’ is Erinaceus which means ‘spiky wall’
The Irish word for hedgehog is ‘gráinneog’ - meaning ‘horrible one’
Hedgehogs occasionally perform an unusual ritual of ‘self-anointing’. This occurs when they come across a strong or an unfamiliar scent. The hedgehog will lick and bite the source and then form scented frothy saliva which it pastes over its spines with its tongue. Some believe that this ‘anointing’ camouflages the hedgehog with the scent of the area and possibly provides a poison or a source of infection to predators that come into contact with its spines.