Adaptation (Structure and Function)

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A hedgehog’s spines are an obvious adaptation to repel prey. It is hard to imagine how they developed them, but they seem to work! When a hedgehog is startled, a strong muscle in its back pulls it into a ball, protecting its soft underbelly and pointing its sharp spines up straight! They cannot release their spines into the skin of an attacker, like a porcupine, but they are still very sharp and put off predators.