Field card
Forest
[European Hedgehog render]
European Hedgehog
Erinaceus europaeus
- Lives:
- Woodland edges, hedges and gardens across Western Europe
- Size:
- About 20 to 30 cm long
- Eats:
- Beetles, caterpillars, worms and slugs
- Status:
- Least Concern (IUCN); declining in Britain
European Hedgehog facts
- It has several thousand spines, which are hollow hairs made of keratin.
- When threatened it rolls into a prickly ball.
- It hibernates through the winter.
Myth: Leave out milk for hedgehogs.
Fact: Milk upsets their stomachs. A shallow dish of water is best.
In Word Biome
The European Hedgehog is one of the creatures in the Forest world, where it goes by the Grumpy Hedgehog. Watch for it in costume as the Artist Hedgehog. Tap it during a fight to open this field card.
Costume: Artist Hedgehog
Sources
Checked against: IUCN Red List, British Hedgehog Preservation Society.