During the mid term break we had a visit from a young hedgehog in the school grounds. Hedgehogs hibernate during the winter but on sunny warm days they sometimes wake up for something to eat. The hedgehog's back is covered with spines and its face and underside are covered with coarse hair. As protection it rolls into a ball and its spines stick out. This will deter many preditors, like cats and dogs, but foxes and badgers will kill hedgehogs. Foxes kill them by manoeuvring them into water where they have to unroll to swim then the fox attacks the head. Badgers somehow find a gap in the spines and attack the unprotected belly.
Hedgehogs feed mainly on worms, insects and their larvae, snails, slugs, and fallen fruit. So the hedgehog is the gardeners friend. It will also eat the eggs and young of ground nesting birds.
Hedgehogs are most active at dawn and dusk when it comes out and snuffles around for food, the hedgehog is quite noisy and if you are lucky to have one in your garden you will be able to hear him.
Hedgehogs have one or two litters of between three and seven young, they are born in nests of grass or leaves from May to September. The nest may be in a hedge, under a tree root or in a disused rabbit hole.
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