European Hedgehog
The hedgehog is quite a favourite amongst many people in Europe. Indeed, it is very popular in the UK.
The European hedgehog, also known as the West European hedgehog or common hedgehog, is a hedgehog species native to Europe from Iberia and Italy northwards into Scandinavia and westwards into the British Isles. It is a generally common and widely distributed species that can survive across a wide range of habitat types. It is a well-known species, and a favourite in European gardens, both for its endearing appearance and its preference for eating a range of garden pests. While populations are currently stable across much of its range, it is declining severely in Great Britain where it is now Red Listed, meaning that it is considered to be at risk of local extinction; this was caused by loss of nesting and foraging habitat – our gardens are no longer easily accessible, and a hedgehog needs access to quite a few (or a single large garden) to survive – obviously quite a number of these areas need to be created nearby, if the species is to breed and expand. It has been found to decline between 30 and 75% since 2000 alone, the current UK estimate would suggest around 879,000 in the UK – sounds high, but an estimate in 1900 was around 30 million.
Outside its native range, the species was introduced to New Zealand during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
I remember seeing them in my garden growing up, and I have since seen them on holiday in France – however, with almost 900,000 left, there must be parts of the UK where they are still common, thankfully, there are many things that we can do to help these animals make a recovery.
The European hedgehog is not the only hedgehog species that exists around the world, in fact there are a total of around 17 species.Â
Underneath this text-box, you will find a list of the 16 other species of hedgehogs (i have only found 15 so am missing one) from around the world. Over time, I will add pages behind each species (though not yet). Hover over the image you are interested and you will see details of the picture, if I have built a page on the species in question clicking on the picture will load it.
Below this text-box, you will find a list of articles (if any) on this species. If you encounter them regularly or study them, we would love to feature some articles and have them mentioned more regularly. Below that, is a video that the BBC has added to youtube, from life of mammals (a well known BBC show) showing a hedgehog in David Attenboroughs garden in London. Below this, we will create a list of places where you can try to see these animals for yourself.
Furthermore, if you see hedgehogs regularly in your garden, and would be interested in occasionally having other people to come and see them (and pay you for the privilidge do get in touch, as we would love to list it as a possibility here.
