· The name hedgehog came into use around the year 1450, derived from the
Middle English heyghoge, from heyg or hegge meaning hedge because they
frequents hedgerows, and hoge or hoggehog, from its piglike snout. Other names
include urchin, hedgepig and furze-pig.
· Hedgehogs have several thousand sharp spines on their backs – 5,000 to 6,500 spines
on the average hedgehog, which are hard on the outside, while being filled with air
pockets on the inside and used to protect against predators.
· They are not shy of sharing our built environment, making use of short grass, compost
heaps and flower beds in gardens and recreational areas feeding on earthworms,
beetles, slugs and caterpillars. In rural areas, they live along woodland edges and
hedgerows in meadowland and rough pasture, almost anywhere where there is sufficient
cover for nesting, but they are scarce or absent in marshy or upland habitats (such as
moorland) and in coniferous woodland.
· The presence of hedgehogs is a good indicator of plentiful ground-dwelling invertebrates
and of varied habitat features, such as hedges and copses.
· Between November and the end of March, when food is scarce, hedgehogs hibernate to
Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:33 pm
