Schleich Wild Life 14713

Hedgehogs are small animals with a pointed snout and a coat of over five thousand quills.\nBinomial name:\nErinaceus europaeus \nConservations status:\nLeast concern [lc] \nGlobal Home:\nEurope \nPrimary Habitat:\nForest, Grassland \n\nWhen in danger the hedgehog rolls up into a prickly ball and is perfectly protected.\nHedgehogs are deaf and blind when they are born and their quills grow even before their senses develop. At birth the quills still have soft hair so they do not injure themselves or their mother. The hedgehog's main method of defence is to stick out their quills, which they control using tiny individual muscles, and to then roll up into a ball where the quills stick out in all directions. This way the attacker has only one small point of access which is smaller than the tip of a finger. Hedgehogs grow to about 20 centimeters long and can be several years old. These animals are known as omnivores and feed on insects, amphibians, bird eggs, mushrooms, melons, berries and snakes. Thanks to their immunity against snake poison, which is the result of an additional protein in their body, hedgehogs can even hunt poisonous snakes.