{"id":887,"date":"2025-08-28T11:50:53","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T11:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/natgeokids.com?p=887"},"modified":"2025-08-28T15:03:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T15:03:29","slug":"hedgehog-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/ie\/discover\/animals\/general-animals\/hedgehog-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Hedgehog Facts!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for the lowdown on one of our planet\u2019s cutest critters! Ready? Then check out our adorable hedgehog facts<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

\"hedgehog<\/a><\/p>\n

Fast hedgehog facts<\/span><\/h2>\n

Scientific name<\/strong>: Erinaceus
\nFamily name<\/strong>: Erinaceidae
\nClassification<\/strong>: Mammal
\nIUCN status<\/strong>: Least concern
\nLifespan (in wild)<\/strong>: Around seven years
\nWeight<\/strong>: Up to 1.1kg
\nBody length<\/strong>: 14cm – 30cm
\nTop speed<\/strong>: 9.5km\/h bursts
\nDiet<\/strong>: Carnivore
\nHabitat<\/strong>: Grassland, hedgerows, woodland and meadows
\nRange<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\"hedgehog<\/a><\/p>\n

Hedgehogs are famous for their prickly spines<\/strong>, which they have everywhere except on their face, legs and bellies. These cute critters depend on their spines for defense, both while they sleep and when they face enemies. By curling into a tight ball and tucking in their heads, tail and legs, they protect vulnerable parts of their body.<\/p>\n

\"hedgehog<\/a><\/p>\n

The body of adult hedgehogs ranges from 14 to 30 centimetres long, and their tail can add one to six centimetres. When they are born (there can be up to seven in a litter) their spines are soft and short. But soon after birth, their spines harden, becoming stiffer, sharper and longer. Babies stay in the nest until they”re about three weeks old. By that time, their eyes are open, their spines are effective and they can safely follow their mother outside the nest as she looks for food.<\/p>\n

Top on the hedgehog”s menu are insects, followed by small mice, snails, lizards, frogs, eggs and even snakes. Mostly nocturnal creatures<\/strong>, they head out at night in search of food – but they are sometimes active during the day, too, particularly after it rains.<\/p>\n

\"hedgehog<\/a><\/p>\n

Hedgehogs have a trick up their, errr<\/em>, “sleeve” to give themselves extra protection – “self anointing<\/strong>.” These amazing animals are immune to certain poisonous plants, which they eat before making a frothy saliva in their mouth. The hedgehogs then lick their spines, spreading the saliva with the plant”s poison all over the spikes. Scientists believe this may help hedgehogs hide their scent from predators, or give them a nasty shock shock should they attack!<\/p>\n

There are 15 different species of hedgehog<\/strong>, found across Europe, Asia and Africa. Whilst these cool creatures mainly stay on the ground, they are quite good swimmers and can climb trees, too!<\/p>\n

Picture credits
\n<\/span>Hedgehog on tree stump: Zorandim, Dreamstime. Hedgehog on grass: Creativenature1, Dreamstime. Hedgehog on black background: Eastmanphoto, Dreamstime. Map of hedgehog distribution: National Geographic Maps.<\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

What do you make of our hedgehog facts? Leave a comment below and let us know!<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for the lowdown on one of our planet\u2019s cutest critters! Ready? Then check out our adorable hedgehog facts… Fast hedgehog facts Scientific name: Erinaceus Family name: Erinaceidae Classification: Mammal IUCN status: Least concern Lifespan (in wild): Around seven years Weight: Up to 1.1kg Body length: 14cm – 30cm Top speed: 9.5km\/h bursts Diet: Carnivore … Continue reading Hedgehog Facts!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[248,252,253],"christmas-category":[],"class_list":["post-887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-animals","tag-animal-facts","tag-facts-for-kids","tag-hedgehog","countries-australia","countries-ireland","countries-new-zealand","countries-south-africa","countries-united-kingdom"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHedgehog Facts! - National Geographic Kids<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hedgehog facts for kids: learn all about these adorable mammals, with facts about the hedgehog\u2019s habitat, diet, defence mechanisms, size and behaviour.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hedgehog Facts! 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