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Hedgehogs have a relatively long lifespan for their size. In captivity, lack of predators and controlled diet contribute to a lifespan of eight to ten years depending on size. In the wild, larger species live four to seven years (some recorded up to 16 years), and smaller species live two to four years (four to seven in captivity ).
Remains of hedgehogs have been found in the stomachs of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), European badgers (Meles meles) and pine martens (Martes martes). A large portion of these may be from hedgehog carcasses, especially roadkill. However, hedgehogs tend to be absent from areas where badgers are numerous.
Eulipotyphla (/ ˌ j uː l ɪ p oʊ ˈ t ɪ f l ə /, from eu-+ Lipotyphla; sometimes called true insectivores [1]) is an order of mammals comprising the Erinaceidae (hedgehogs and gymnures); Solenodontidae (solenodons); Talpidae (moles, shrew-like moles and desmans); and Soricidae (true shrews) families.
The animal hospital in Manchester has urged the public to do more to help the mammals thrive.
The project was established in 2011 in response to a detected decline [1] [2] [3] in hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) populations in Britain, where it is a native species. As of January 2025, over 130,000 volunteers have signed up to be ‘Hedgehog Champions’, committing to making changes in their gardens to encourage and support wild hedgehogs.
By the 1950s hedgehog numbers reached their maximum. To judge by roadkill figures, hedgehogs were 50 times more numerous in New Zealand than anywhere else. Since the 1950s, their numbers have fallen but over large parts of New Zealand hedgehogs are still more numerous than in Britain. [4] By 1972 they may have reached their maximum range. [2]
Disease can also be a factor: white nose syndrome in bats, for example, is causing a substantial decline in their populations and may even lead to the extinction of some species. [10] Overhunting also has an impact. Terrestrial mammals, such as the tiger and deer, are mainly hunted for their pelts and in some cases meat, and marine mammals can ...
The Czech hedgehog is an antitank defense that, for Americans and Russians alike, evokes images of World War II. Moscow has a monument of Czech hedgehogs to mark the farthest that Nazi soldiers ...