It also is smaller than the European hedgehog. They are covered dorsally with a uniform coat of spines which have alternate light and dark color rings. Cream colored fur surrounds the face and covers the ventral surface and flanks.
Ears are broad and roundish.
Savanna and semi-arid zones of the northern half of Africa from Senegal to Somalia and Tanzania. There is localized distribution in that range, possibly because of the importance of the microhabitat, e.g. they cannot live in damp areas. They eat insects and other small invertebrates, small vertebrates, carrion, and some vegetation. Hedgehogs are very resistant to insect toxins, chemical poisons, and snake venom. Hedgehogs are solitary, avoiding other hedgehogs, and have an attachment to a very small home range.