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Hedgehog

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A cute young hedgehog exploring its surroundings.

Hedgehog

Hedgehogs are tiny, spiky friends that belong to a special family of animals called mammals. They have soft, spiky coats that help keep them safe. These little creatures live in parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some even live in New Zealand because people brought them there.

Hedgehogs are very special because they have changed very little over millions of years! They are most active at night and love to sleep in cozy dens they dig underground. When they feel scared, hedgehogs can roll up into a tight ball, using their spiky coats to protect themselves.

These cute animals eat both plants and small animals. They enjoy munching on insects, berries, and even mushrooms. Hedgehogs can stay asleep for a long time during cold weather, which is called hibernation. During hibernation, their body temperature drops a lot, and they rest until it’s warm enough to wake up.

People love hedgehogs very much. In many stories, hedgehogs are seen as clever and wise. They are also popular as gentle pets in some places. Even though they look spiky, hedgehogs are soft and gentle underneath their spines.

Images

A diagram showing how a hedgehog's skeleton fits inside its skin, from the Horniman Museum's natural history collection.
A close-up view of hedgehog spines under a microscope, showing their detailed structure.
A hedgehog curled up into a ball in Jurmala, Latvia.
An ancient Mycenaean ceramic vessel shaped like a hedgehog, dating back to the Late Bronze Age. It was used for ceremonial purposes in ancient times.
An ancient Egyptian hedgehog-shaped artifact from the Middle Kingdom, displayed in the Neues Museum in Berlin.
A curious hedgehog exploring its surroundings.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Hedgehog, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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