European Hedgehog
Encyclopedia
The European Hedgehog Common hedgehog or just Hedgehog in the anglophone
parts of Europe, is a hedgehog
species
found in northern and western Europe. It is about 20 to 30 cm in length. Adult mass typically ranges from 600 (after hibernation) to up to 1,200 g (prior to hibernation); occasionally, it may reach as much as 1,600 g. Males tend to be slightly longer and heavier than females.
The European Hedgehog 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 is omnivorous, feeding on a wide range of invertebrates, but preferring slug
s, earthworm
s, beetle
s and other insect
s. The preferred arthropods are the millipedes Glomeris marginata
and Tachypodoiulus niger
as well as the ground beetle
Carabus nemoralis
. It is also known to eat frog
s, small rodent
s, young bird
s 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 Common Snipe
, Dunlin
, Common Redshank
and Northern Lapwing
. It is also considered a pest in New Zealand
where it preys upon the native giant snails (Powelliphanta
), weta
, and various other native invertebrates.
Blonde hedgehogs have a rare recessive gene giving rise to beady, button-black eyes and creamy-coloured spines; they are not strictly speaking albino. They are extremely rare except on the Channel Island of Alderney
. A population of around a thousand is believed to exist. They allegedly carry no fleas, and are a localised island variant of Erinaceus europaeus.
A low coverage assembly of the genome of Erinaceus europaeus was released by the Broad Institute
in June 2006 as part of the Mammalian Genome Project.
(BAP) [launched in 1997] included the European Hedgehog on the list of species and habitats in the UK that need conservation and greater protection.
In Denmark
, hedgehogs are protected by law. It is illegal to capture or hurt them, but it is accepted to house underweight hedgehogs found out during winter. Garden owners are encouraged to attract hedgehogs with a bit of dry cat food, to utilize their pest control abilities.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
parts of Europe, is a hedgehog
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
found in northern and western Europe. It is about 20 to 30 cm in length. Adult mass typically ranges from 600 (after hibernation) to up to 1,200 g (prior to hibernation); occasionally, it may reach as much as 1,600 g. Males tend to be slightly longer and heavier than females.
The European Hedgehog lives in woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
, 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 is omnivorous, feeding on a wide range of invertebrates, but preferring slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
s, earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s, beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s and other insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. The preferred arthropods are the millipedes Glomeris marginata
Glomeris marginata
Glomeris marginata is a common European species of pill millipede. It is a short millipede, rounded in cross-section, which is capable of rolling itself up into a ball when disturbed. This behaviour is also found in the pill woodlouse Armadillidium, with which G...
and Tachypodoiulus niger
Tachypodoiulus niger
Tachypodoiulus niger, known variously as the white-legged snake millipede or the black millipede, is a European species of millipede. It is very similar to other species such as Cylindroiulus londinensis, from which it can be reliably distinguished only by studying the shape of the telson...
as well as the ground beetle
Ground beetle
Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, approximately 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe.-Description and ecology:...
Carabus nemoralis
Carabus nemoralis
Carabus nemoralis is a ground beetle common in central and northern Europe, as well as Iceland and the island of Newfoundland. It has also been introduced to and expanding its range in throughout North America.-Feeding habits:...
. It is also known to eat frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, small rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, young bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s and birds' eggs.
Pest (animal)
A pest is an animal which is detrimental to humans or human concerns. It is a loosely defined term, often overlapping with the related terms vermin, weeds, parasites and pathogens...
in the Western Isles of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where introduced hedgehogs eat the eggs of ground-nesting waders such as Common Snipe
Common Snipe
The Common Snipe is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. The breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout northern Europe and northern Asia...
, Dunlin
Dunlin
The Dunlin, Calidris alpina, is a small wader, sometimes separated with the other "stints" in Erolia. It is a circumpolar breeder in Arctic or subarctic regions. Birds that breed in northern Europe and Asia are long-distance migrants, wintering south to Africa, southeast Asia and the Middle East...
, Common Redshank
Common Redshank
The Common Redshank or simply Redshank is an Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.- Description and systematics :...
and Northern Lapwing
Northern Lapwing
The Northern Lapwing , also known as the Peewit, Green Plover or just Lapwing, is a bird in the plover family. It is common through temperate Eurasia....
. It is also considered a pest in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
where it preys upon the native giant snails (Powelliphanta
Powelliphanta
Powelliphanta, common name amber snails, is a genus of large, carnivorous land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. As a group their survival status is endangered.- Taxonomy :...
), weta
Weta
Weta is the name given to about 70 insect species endemic to New Zealand. There are many similar species around the world, though most are in the southern hemisphere. The name comes from the Māori word 'wētā' and is the same in the plural...
, and various other native invertebrates.
Blonde hedgehogs have a rare recessive gene giving rise to beady, button-black eyes and creamy-coloured spines; they are not strictly speaking albino. They are extremely rare except on the Channel Island of Alderney
Alderney
Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...
. A population of around a thousand is believed to exist. They allegedly carry no fleas, and are a localised island variant of Erinaceus europaeus.
A low coverage assembly of the genome of Erinaceus europaeus was released by the Broad Institute
Broad Institute
The Broad Institute is a genomic medicine research center located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Although it is independently governed and supported as a 501 nonprofit research organization, the institute is formally affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard...
in June 2006 as part of the Mammalian Genome Project.
Protection list
On 28 August 2007, the new Biodiversity Action PlanBiodiversity Action Plan
A Biodiversity Action Plan is an internationally recognized program addressing threatened species and habitats and is designed to protect and restore biological systems. The original impetus for these plans derives from the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity...
(BAP) [launched in 1997] included the European Hedgehog on the list of species and habitats in the UK that need conservation and greater protection.
In Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, hedgehogs are protected by law. It is illegal to capture or hurt them, but it is accepted to house underweight hedgehogs found out during winter. Garden owners are encouraged to attract hedgehogs with a bit of dry cat food, to utilize their pest control abilities.
External links
- ARKive Photographs and Videos.
- WildlifeOnline - Natural History of the European Hedgehog
- Hedgehog in the night