Erinaceus europaeus
You cannot mistake a hedgehog—the upperparts are covered with 5,000–7,000 quills about 2–3 cm long and 2 mm thick. On its underside, Western Hedgehog has stiff brown hairs. If the animal feels threatened, it can tightly curl itself into a round ball, in this way protecting the whole body with the quills.
Western Hedgehog is 20–30 cm long, with a 3 cm tail, and weighs about 0.8–1.5 kg; it is heaviest in autumn, shortly before hibernation. Males are somewhat larger than females.
Western Hedgehogs are active from dusk until dawn. They make a lot of noise, snuffle all the time while searching for food, and eat noisily. They feed mainly on earthworms, earwigs, insect larvae, millipedes, and snails, but they also consume other small animals. They also gladly feed on carrion, and in summer and autumn eat fruit and berries.
Western Hedgehogs are active between dusk and dawn. LG.
Western Hedgehogs prefer living near human habitation, in gardens and parks, but can also be found in hedgerows, at woodland edges, or in clearings. They are not normally found in open cultivated areas or extensive woodland.
Western Hedgehogs have five toes on all feet, but the inner toe leaves a very weak imprint, sometimes suggesting a four-toed animal. The footprints of front and hind feet are almost identical, about 2.5–4.5 cm long and 2.5–2.8 cm wide. The front footprint is wider than the hind and turned inward; the hind print is somewhat longer than the front and turned outwards. The stride is 15–25 cm and strongly splayed, and since Western Hedgehog has short legs, you often see drag marks from the belly.
The scat is large, firm, and strong-smelling. It can be found anywhere the animal is active. Scat is 0.8–1 cm thick, 3–5 cm long, and pointed at one end. It is shiny black and contains the remains of insects; at the end of summer and in autumn, it also contains berries. Occasionally you might also find hair, feathers, and small pieces of bone in the scat. If the hedgehog has eaten only mice or birds, the scat is dull-coloured, twisted, and very thin.
Western Hedgehog tracks in mud. KG.
You will often find small holes in the earth, along with scat, in a field; these are the result of the hedgehog drilling with its snout in search of insect larvae. The holes are smaller than those left by badgers. Though they have powerful claws, hedgehogs do not generally dig in the ground.
Western Hedgehogs will occasionally eat eggs and the young of colonial ground-breeding birds, and they may consume large quantities of both. They bite irregular holes in the side of an egg and lick out the contents; chicken eggs are, however, too large for hedgehogs to handle.
Hedgehog scat is black and hard. LG.
Hedgehogs rarely run. LG.
Western Hedgehogs normally build underground nests. In spring the female builds a nest in a quiet place under thick bushes, in a hedge, in a hollow, in a shed, etc. The ground is cushioned with grass and moss; the ‘roof’ consists of dried leaves and other plant matter. In winter the hedgehog might build a larger nest, cushioned and covered with dried leaves. The roof is often very thick to make the nest waterproof. The winter nest can be constructed the same way as in summer but is often in a more protected place, for example, in a hollow tree or abandoned Rabbit burrow; a Western Hedgehog will hibernate the entire winter in this nest.
You often find Western Hedgehog nests in large piles of brushwood. LG.
Hedgehogs have long whiskers. Biopix.
