### animal | vertebrate | mammal | rodent:

Hedgehog
* All hedgehogs are similiar in how they look and what color they are.
* Many hedgehogs die each year from a number of hazards, many of which are caused by man.
* Most hedgehogs are classified as insectivores
  - can fit in an adult's hand
  - come out at nights
  - enter into hibernation
  - establish territory
  - gather food
* Most hedgehogs have glands
  - infection
  - large ranges
  - lifespans
  - long legs
  - loose skin
  - organs
  - respiratory infection
  - sides
  - skin glands
  - unique appearances
* Most hedgehogs inhabit different areas
  - geographic areas
  - live up to years
  - maintain hibernation
* Most hedgehogs make heavy breathe noise
  - search for food
  - survive in conditions
* Some hedgehogs adapt to environments.
* Some hedgehogs are bitten by snakes
  - trained to litter boxes
  - become pests
  - can also develop abscesses in their mouth
  - carry fleas
  - cause infection
  - collect food
* Some hedgehogs develop illnesses
  - relate illnesses
  - enter hibernation
* Some hedgehogs go into hibernation
  - through phases
* Some hedgehogs have ability
  - ages
  - patterns
  - structures
  - hibernate during winter
* Some hedgehogs lose baby teeth
  - body weight
  - reside in gardens
  - roll into balls
  - scratch when nervous or exploring
  - use tongues
* are a docile, non-aggressive, ancient species
  - powerful form of pest control
  - about the size of a large hamster, although some species can get a bit larger
* are also a food source for some larger animals
  - abundant in urban and suburban areas
  - quite low maintenance, and they are nocturnal
  - among the most familiar small mammals in Europe
  - born blind
  - both insectivorious and carniverous
  - commonly allergic to wood oils
  - covered with a protective spine of quills on their back, and have soft, fuzzy bellies
  - cute and curious mammals
  - eighteen to twenty five ounces when grown up
* are found in Europe, Asia, Africa and New Zealand
  - and Africa
  - most parts of Britain, apart from very wet areas and extensive pine forests
  - insectivores by nature
* are mammals and like all mammals their young are born alive
  - that have been around for millions of years
  - masters at escaping and can fit through anything their little head can fit through
  - mostly nocturnal but can be awake some times during the day
* are native to Africa, Asia, Europe and have been introduced to New Zealand
  - mainland Britain and are also found throughout northern and western Europe
  - nocturnal , but gymnures are less so
* are nocturnal and are quite active in the evenings
  - hibernate during the winter
  - some can get very irate if woken up during the day
* are nocturnal animals and hunt for food between the hours of nightfall and daybreak
  - that sleep in the day and are awake at night
  - insectivores that hibernate in colder climates
  - members of a very primitive order of mammals called Insectivora
  - one of the few mammals that are true hibernators
* are primarily nocturnal animals, so they are most active at night
  - in nature
  - rather lonely creatures, and they are easily starting fights with each other
  - relatively close to the ground and are in constant contact with their bedding
  - shy
* are small exotic pets that are becoming increasingly popular
  - spiny coated animals
* are solitary animals with overlapping habitats
  - creatures that make their home in grass or in holes under the ground
  - solitary, avoiding other hedgehogs, and have an attachment to a very small home range
  - still fairly rare as pets, but are becoming increasingly more popular all the time
  - susceptable to worms, fleas, mites, and other common pet parasites
* are the only British mammal with spines
  - opposite, climbing high up the internal hill
  - thermo-sensitive, coping poorly with extremes of temperature
  - usually solitary, usually pairing up only to mate
* are very healthy eaters
  - resistant to insect toxins, chemical poisons, and snake venom
  - weapons
  - wild, non-domesticated animals, although bred and kept in captivity
* build nests of moss and leaves under vegetation around parks, gardens and farmland.
* carry several diseases, but none that are dangerous to humans.
  - with all different personalities
* disappear during the dry season and probably estivate.
* do like to climb so multi-level cages can make great homes.
* eat a variety of things
  - wide variety of prey
  - fruit
  - insects, snakes, small mammals, birds, and birds eggs
  - slugs
* emerge from hibernation, snuffling loudly as they feed, mate and fend off competitors.
* enter and leave their burrows headfirst, turning inside the tunnel
* exhibit similar behavior at high temperatures.
* feed on insects, slugs, mice, frogs, young birds, and carrion.
* forage at nights.
* give birth to one to seven babies which are born with the spines just below the skin.
* have a body system similar to most other mammals
  - coat of stiff, sharp spines
  - relatively long life span for their size
  - an amazing immunity to most things that are toxic
  - barbless spines on the back and sides, and hair on the face, limbs, and underparts
  - better chances
  - coarse hairs on their face, legs, and underparts
* have long legs
  - spines , or quills , made of keratin
  - no significant natural predators
  - poor eyesight so rely mostly on hearing and smell to locate and catch their prey
  - powerful legs and strong claws and are good at digging
  - spines that cover their entire back and top of their head
  - the same problem as many other small mammals who live around humans
  - three generations of spines in their lifetime
  - very long tongues
* includes brains
  - breasts
  - cell membranes
  - cells
  - chest cavities
  - chests
  - corpi
  - cytoplasm
  - faces
  - heads
  - nuclei
  - pedal extremities
  - piluses
  - plasma membranes
  - rib cages
  - sections
  - skulls
  - sterna
  - vacuoles
  - vertebrate feet
* inhabit areas.
* just eat and eat and eat.
* live in a big cage with wood chips
  - small garden or bushy areas, or small woods
  - predominantly solitary lives
* make a variety of vocalizations including squeals, grunts, snuffling and even sneezing
  - their own nests out of leaves and other garden debris
* may have trouble.
* need food.
* normally shelter by day and go out at night.
* often cross roads but have no protection against cars
  - scratch a bit when they first wake
* prefer dimmed lighting and quiet corners.
* produce saliva
  - very little dander
* progress by means of a waddling walk or trot with the spines directed backward.
* provide a valuable insect pest control service.
* reach sexual maturity in the second year after they are born.
* react adversely to negative states of mind.
* rely heavily on their hearing and so are very responsive to sound.
* rely on senses
  - their sense of smell to compensate for their poor vision
* require exercise to satisfy their desire to forage and to avoid obesity.
* respond negatively when their owners are stressed.
* show attraction
  - strong attraction
* sleep during the day in any dark place they can find.
* weigh ounces.
+ Erinaceidae, Characteristics
  * Hedgehogs are nocturnal, but gymnures are less so. Many species live in simple burrows, while others build temporary nests on the surface from leaves and grass, or shelter in hollow logs or similar hiding places. Erinaceids are solitary animals outside the breeding season, and the father plays no role in raising the young.
+ Hedgehog, Description
  * Hedgehogs have long spines, or quills, made of keratin. They do not come off easily, unlike porcupines, but in baby hedgehogs, the baby quills drop off and are replaced with adult quills. When they are very stressed or sick, their quills can fall off, too. Their quills are not poisonous.