Hedgehog

When: Summer & Autumn

Scientific name: Erinaceus europaeus

Gaelic name: gràineag, uircean-gàrraidh

Size: Up to 30cm long, weighing up to 2kg

Where: Gardens, along hedgerows, field edges

This unmistakeable character is a beloved sight around most of the UK and across mainland Europe. The distinctive spiny back is an excellent defence mechanism against predators, allowing the hedgehog to curl up into a prickly ball should it come under attack. As the hedgehog is a nocturnal creature, it relies mostly on it's excellent hearing and superior sense of smell. These little hedgepigs also have suprisingly long legs underneath all that fur and spines, and are adept runners and climbers!

Sadly, hedgehogs have become more vulnerable over that last 50 years due to the increase in road traffic and hedgerow habitat loss. Hogs rely on hedgerows to act as corridors between fields and gardens, providing shelter and good foraging opportunities. As more and more of these hedges are removed, and people become more inclined to put up fences in their garden, hedgehogs are being forced out onto the roads to make their way to new feeding areas or to get back home, and this is where a lot of fatalities occur.

Because of this, hedgehogs are now protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, meaning that there are special measures in place to ensure that this species is able to thrive in the future. Hedgehogs have always been fondly regarded, by gardners in particular, who appreciate the hogs' penchant for feasting on slugs and snails. Not everyone has always been familiar with the hedgehog; it is said that in the west highlands, people believed hedeghogs to be small, stone-like shape shifters. If a small grey stone was found in a field during harvest, the farmers would carefully cut around it, ensuring the resting 'hedgehog' was not disturbed!