Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
European Hedgehog
| European Hedgehog | ||||||||||||||||
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| Erinaceus europaeus Linnaeus, 1758 |
The European Hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, is a hedgehog, a mammal in the order Insectivora. It is found throughout the Palaearctic region, except the Himalaya and North Africa. It is rarely found above 60°N in latitude.
This hedgehog is about 20cm in length, and lives in woodland, farmland and suburban areas. It is nocturnal, and if alarmed will roll itself into a ball, protecting itself against potential predators with its spines.
Unlike the smaller, warmer climate species, the European Hedgehog may hibernate in the winter. It feeds on slugs, earthworms, beetles and other insects, and sometimes frogs, small rodents, young birds and birds' eggs.
This species has become a serious pest in the Western Isles of Scotland, where introduced hedgehogs eat the eggs of ground-nesting waders such as Snipe, Dunlin, Redshank and Lapwing.
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