1 Hedgehogs’ scientific name is Erinaceus
2 Diet type is carnivorous
3 Habitat is grassland, hedgerows, woodland and meadows
4 Hedgehogs curl up into a ball tucking in their head, tail and legs to protect vulnerable parts of their body from predators, leaving only their sharp spines on show. A great defence mechanism!
5 Hedgehogs are mostly nocturnal creatures, though some may appear in the day also
6 There are 17 different species of hedgehog found across multiple parts of the world
7 A hedgehog has a small tail along with its 25mm long spines covering its back
8 Hedgehogs are noisy eaters!
9 Hedgehogs are pregnant for 4 weeks and give birth to litters ranging from 1 to 11
10 The name for a baby hedgehog is a hoglet
11 Hedgehogs have an excellent sense of smell and sound which makes up for their not so great eyesight
12 A hedgehog can run over six feet per second
13 Their heartbeats go from 190 to 20 beats per minute when hibernating
14 Hedgehogs can walk over 2 miles in one night!
15 They are known as a ‘gardener’s friend’ as they eat all the insects that nibble on our much loved plants