October 2015 Mammal of the Month - The Hedgehog

 

Photo credit: Becky Thomas

 

It's getting into hibernation time now so our October Mammal of the Month is our prickly friend, the hedgehog.

Our top 5 facts for the hedgehog are:

1. They live for up to 10 years, though most live only 2-3 years 

 

2. They breed between April and September, with litter sizes of 4-5 

 

3. They travel up to 2 km every night hunting for food and in built-up areas have been shown to use up to 10 gardens each.

4. When hibernating they may awaken several times to build a new nest 

 

5. They are good swimmers (but often get stuck in modern smooth-sided ponds so please consider a ramp using a plank of wood if you have one)

If you see any hedgehogs, or any other mammals this month, please record it for us here. 

Of course we hope that all of your sightings will be of live hedgehogs but sightings of dead ones are useful records too so please enter these as well.

Check out the Mammal Society's fact sheet here to learn more.