Hedgehogs, properly.
Biology, behaviour and the honest state of things, with every fact traced back to a source. Plus advice that actually helps, a few games, and an eraser called Useless who has been put on the night shift.
The short version
Hedgehogs are native to parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, and live in New Zealand by introduction. None are native to Australia or the Americas. source
In Britain, the hedgehog is in trouble. On the 2020 Red List for Britain's Mammals the hedgehog is Vulnerable in Great Britain, England, Scotland and Wales. Mammal Society State of Britain's Hedgehogs 2022: rural hedgehogs have declined by between 30% and 75% since 2000; urban populations appear to be stabilising. PTES In October 2024 the IUCN moved the European hedgehog from Least Concern to Near Threatened globally. IUCN
The good news is that gardens matter. A gap 13 cm × 13 cm (about a CD case) is all a hedgehog needs to pass between gardens. Hedgehog Street One hole, one neighbour at a time.
Start somewhere
Anatomy & spinesThousands of prickles, one draw-string muscle, surprisingly long legs.
Help in the gardenCut a hole, skip the pellets, give the pond a ramp.
Found a hedgehog?When to leave well alone and when to call for help.
The world’s hedgehogsSeventeen, eighteen or nineteen species, depending who’s counting.
Isle of ManA shipwreck, three Manx names and no badgers.
HogletsBorn blind, spines under a membrane, rolling by eleven days.Tile photos are credited on their pages and on the credits page.
Just in: hedgehogs on the money
In October 2026 the BHPS announced that the hedgehog had won a public vote to appear on new Bank of England notes, with 259,655 votes. BHPS The country has spoken, and it has spoken for prickles.
Did you know?
Local tradition credited the hedgehogs' arrival to the wreck of the schooner Hooton, of Garlieston, with a box of hedgehogs on board. Manx Note Book
Enjoying the hedgehogs? Help keep the lights on.
This site is a labour of love: hand-built, fact-checked, and free to read. If a fact, a game or one of Useless’s notes made you smile, a little support keeps it going and helps the network grow.