What IS a hedgehog?
Let's find out!
What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word hedgehog? A prickly ball? Quills? Small rodents? A porcupine? Many people believe that hedgehogs are small, grumpy rodents that are related to porcupines and will prick you with their sharp quills. But that is not true at all!
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First of all, hedgehogs are NOT rodents! They belong to the class known as mammals, which are animals with hair, like us. Their subclass is Eutheria, which includes the higher mammals as opposed to marsupials. Within that subclass, they belong to a group called Insectivore, which are animals that eat mainly insects. This group includes moles, shrews, and tenrecs. The hedgehog family is called Erinaceidae. This family is the most primitive living insectivore family dating back to the time when dinosaurs ruled the earth!
Size and Shape
The African Pygmy hedgehog is rather small in size with the average adult weighing between 1/2 and 2 lbs. They are approximately 5 - 8 inches long, about the size of a Guinea Pig. A relaxed hedgehog is generally oval shaped. Their limbs are short and their body is located near the ground. They have four toes on their front feet and five toes on their back feet. They also have a very tiny tail that you can hardly see!
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