Quick Facts
| BODY LENGTH: |
6 to 9 inches |
| WEIGHT: |
10 to 20 ounces |
| WILD DIET: |
spiders, scorpions, and insects |
| ZOO DIET: |
insectivore diet, Science Diet beef flavor, mealworms, and crickets |
| DISTRIBUTION: |
central to south Africa |
| HABITAT: |
open country with low growing vegetation |
Always On Point
Midnight Munchers
Belonging to a group of animals called insectivores, African hedgehogs are closely related to shrews and moles. As the animal group implies, hedgehogs eat insects as well as grubs, snails, spiders, and even scorpions. Hedgehogs are nocturnal and hunt at night, relying on their great senses of smell and hearing. In one night, hedgehogs travel several miles searching for a bellyful of insects. And, although hedgehogs spend most of their time on the ground, they’re also good climbers and excellent swimmers!
A hairdo that’s useful too.
There’s no doubt that a hedgehog most distinctive feature its spiky hairdo. In fact, a hedgehog’s body consists of approximately 5,000 spines. These spines are actually modified hair, which are hollow and lie flat against the hedgehog’s body when their relaxed. However, if a hedgehog becomes frightened, they can curl up into a tight spiky ball.
Spiky Bundles of Joy
When it comes to giving birth to a baby hedgehog, mothers don’t have anything to worry about. First of all, a mother hedgehog carefully crafts and hides her nest under tree roots, leaf piles, or bushes. Then, her four to five babies – called piglets or pups – are born with their spines just the skin’s surface. Within approximately 24 hours, the spines push through the skin. About forty days later, hedgehog babies are on their own completely. In general, hedgehogs aren’t territorial, but do lead rather solitary lives.
Did you just spit on yourself?
Hedgehogs often exhibit a unique behavior called self-anointing. This involves covering their entire body with their own foamy saliva using their long tongue. The exact reason for self-anointing isn’t known, but there are a few theories. The saliva could be a simple way for a hedgehog to clean their spikes, act as a natural bug repellent, or even play a role in courtship rituals.
African Hedgehogs at Brookfield Zoo
Zooscape Mountain at the Hamill Family Play Zoo is the only place you can see these spiny critters. The four hedgehogs, two males and two females, spend most of their day resting under their logs. Although they eat mostly a night, you may be lucky enough to catch the hedgehogs hunting a cricket or two. The hedgehogs also have an off exhibit enclosure with an exercise wheel, which they run on at night however during zoo hours, staff often have the hedgehogs out for everyone to see up-close.