Schleich Hedgehog

Hedgehogs are small animals with pointed snouts, whose fur consists of over five thousand spines.

Hedgehogs are born deaf and blind, and their spines grow before their senses develop. At birth, the spines are still soft hairs, so they do not injure either the hedgehog or the mother. The main defense mechanism of a hedgehog is to raise its spines, which are controlled by tiny individual muscles, and then curl up into a ball, with the spines sticking out in all directions. This way, the attacker is left with only a small opening, smaller than a fingertip, to access. Hedgehogs grow to about 20 centimeters long and can live for several years. Known as omnivores, these animals feed on insects, amphibians, bird eggs, mushrooms, melons, berries, and snakes. Thanks to their immunity to snake venom, which they owe to an additional protein in their bodies, hedgehogs can even hunt venomous snakes.