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Hedgehog Background • Family Erinaceinae • 15 species throughout Asia, Africa, Europe • Most common pet species African pygmy hedgehog • Not related to porcupines! • Closest ancestry shrew • Nocturnal Different hedgehog species African pygmy hedgehog Southern African hedgehog European hedgehog Long eared hedgehog Predators • Badgers • Ferrets • Foxes • Owls Physical features Sharp spines = quills https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=iI8UaMpFlSs • Roll into a ball to point quills outward • Muscles control quills Foraging behaviors • Search through root hedges underground for • Insects, worms, centipedes, snails, mice, frogs, & snakes • Rely on hearing & smell • Makes piglike grunts as it forages • Name comes from these behaviors!!! • hedgehog foraging sounds Mating & reproduction • • • • • • Only interact w/ other hedgehogs to mate Mate once a year Males leave after breeding Litters 4-5 Young only w/ mother for 4-7 wks Young born w/ flexible quills that are covered by layer of skin Other behaviors • Anointing- spreading new odors over body using saliva mixture • More common in young hedgehogs Ecological niche • Particular role of a species in an ecological community • Habitat AND role in the community • “making a living” • No two species can have the same niche!