1. Intro. To Hedgehog
By Mr. “Your hair is sharp” Chapman

2. Classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Insectivora (eat insects)
• Family: Erinaceidae (“erin” = hedgehog
(Greek), “ace” = point (Greek))

4. Relatives
• Closely related to
moles, shrews, and
solenodons
• Domestic hedgehog
 African Pygmy

5. Hedgehogs in the Wild
• Found in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and
New Zealand.
• Used as pest control (eat up to 200 grams
of insects/night).
• Introduced to New Zealand; can be pests
because destroy insects and bird species.

6. Hedgehogs in the Wild
• Live in the
abandoned burrows
of other animals.
• They are solitary
animals
– May fight
– Males and females
together during
breeding; then go
separate ways.

7. Hedgehogs in the Wild
• Predators – birds of prey, wild dogs
– Defense mechanism  role itself into a ball
and spines will stick up
– Number one threat is the automobile!

8. Characteristics
• Physical Description
• Spines = hollow hairs
made of keratin
• Beady black eyes
• Small pointy noses

9. Characteristics
• Typical mammalian skeletal structure
– Much longer hind-legs than fore-legs
• Average lifespan is 4-7 years old
• Do not give off much odor
• Very disease resistant
• Gentle and quiet