hedgehog
Sign in to saveA hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia and no living species native to the Americas. However, the extinct genus Amphechinus was once present in North America.
AI overview
A hedgehog is a small, spiny mammal found naturally in Europe, Asia, and Africa, with 17 species spread across five genera. These animals are notable for their distinctive spines and their presence across multiple continents, though they do not naturally occur in Australia or the Americas.
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Taxonomy · iNaturalist
Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus
species
Observations45,584
Groupplantae
iNaturalist · CC0
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Description
- Diet
- Hibernation
- Reproduction and lifespan
- Predators
- Domestication
- As invasive species
- Diseases
- Human influence
- Culinary and medicinal use
- Genera and species
- Society and culture
- See also
- References
- External links
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia and no living species native to the Americas. However, the extinct genus Amphechinus was once present in North America.
Hedgehogs share distant ancestry with shrews (family Soricidae), with gymnures possibly being the intermediate link, and they have changed little over the last 15 million years. Like many of the first mammals, they have adapted to a nocturnal way of life. Their spiny protection resembles that of porcupines, which are rodents, and echidnas, a type of monotreme.