Hedgehogs Of The World




A hedgehog is any of the small spiny mammals  of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Insetivora. There are 15 species  of hedgehog in four genera found through parts of  Europe, Asia, Africa and New Zealand. , There are no hedgehogs native to America  or Australia. They are only native to New Zealand as travellers when first moving there from Europe took with them a few hedgehogs to make them feel more at home.

Hedgehogs have changed little over the last 15 million years. Like many of the first mammals they have adapted to a nocturnal, insectivorous way of life. The name 'hedgehog' came into use around the year 1450, derived from the middle English word 'heyghoge'. Other folk names include 'urchin', 'hedgepig' and 'furze-pig'.
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If you would like to see a slide  show of photos of hogs from all over the world please click on the button at the bottom of the page. The slide show will open up in a new window.
Genera and species
Pet Hedgehogs

The most common pet species of hedgehog are hybrids of the white-bellied hedgehog or four-toed hedgehog
(Atelerix albiventris) and the Algerian hedgehog (A. algirus). It is smaller than the European hedgehog, and thus is sometimes called African pygmy hedgehog. Other species kept as pets are the Egyptian long-eared hedgehog
(Hemiechinus auritus auritus) and the Indian long-eared hedgehog (H. collaris).