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Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

Went out to refresh their water and put out more food and found a young one and this adult (I think the mother) in this defensive position from one anohter. As I approached the younger raised it's head and ran for the hedgehog house that was only about 18" away. The larger one stayed in place long enough for me to take a couple of photos before it took off under the hedges.

Size: Hedgehogs grow to around 25cm from nose to tail, and have a bulky body weighing around 1kg. The tail is between 2 and 3cm long

Food: Beetles, slugs, snails and other invertebrates

Hedgehogs do their hunting at night. They have a strong sense of smell and hearing, but relatively poor eyesight. They're great to have in the garden, since they eat many of the creatures which gardeners regard as pests. They get their name from the pig-like snorting noise they make while snuffling through hedgerows. The males are called boars and the females are called sows.

 

Hedgehogs can swim, climb almost vertical walls, and run at speeds of up to two metres per second.

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Uploaded on October 16, 2011
Taken on October 15, 2011