E. concolor
         L. collurio
         M. striata
         S. torquata
         T. onustus
         M. gibbosus

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait Eastern European Hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) :: 2001/04/16 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 1/2 Eastern European Hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) :: 2001/04/16 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 1/2 Eastern European Hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) :: 2001/04/16 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 2/2 No image! No image!

Eastern European Hedgehog

Erinaceus concolor

The hedgehog is a squat, rounded creature, with five-toed, well-padded feet. It has a mobile, pointy snout, round eyes and short rounded ears, which are almost hidden in the fur. Body length is about 35cm (approx. 13 4/5 in), with males being slightly larger than females.

The dorsal and lateral areas, excluding the facial area and legs, are densely covered with spines, which are white at the base and the tip, with bands of black white and brown in between. The spines grow from follicles in the skin, in the same way that hair grows. They are, in essence, specially adapted hairs, which have hardened, due to their high  keratin content. As the hedgehog grows, during its first year, it gradually loses the soft spines with which it was born, replacing them with larger and harder ones. When threatened, the hedgehog curls up in a tight ball, with its spines pointing outwards.

The gestation period lasts between 40 and 50 days. At the beginning of each summer, the female gives birth to 3-5 neonates, which are approximately 6cm (2 1/3 in) in length. Their color is gray-white and their spines are short and soft. They suckle for about a month and mature within a few weeks, learning, in the meanwhile, to find food with their mother. As is common in many animal species, mature male hedgehogs occasionally kill newborns of the same sex.

The hedgehog is an  omnivore and has been known to eat a wide range of  invertebrates, but prefers earthworms, slugs and snails. It will also eat frogs, small reptiles, young birds and mice, carrion, bird eggs, acorns and berries. In various parts of the world, the hedgehog is a welcome visitor to gardens, inasmuch as it acts like... a natural insecticide. It has been said that one hedgehog can consume around 200g (7oz) of insects in one night.

It prefers open woods and grassy heaths, cultivated land and scrubs. It is mainly a nocturnal animal, but, like the specimen depicted above, it can be seen, on occasion, during the day. However, during the daylight hours it usually rests under a rock or bush, or in a hole in the ground. In mid-fall, the hedgehog carpets its nest with a layer of moss and leaves and hibernates until March or April. Its body temperature, during this period, falls to around 5.5^oC (41.9^oF).

When in elementary school, some centuries ago, I remember our teacher telling us that the hedgehog enters vineyards, rolls on its back to pin fallen grapes to its spines and then transports the fruit to its burrow to feed its young. However, I have never witnessed such behavior and can't guarantee the accuracy of this information.

The hedgehog is considered a delicacy in many cultures. According to a very popular recipe, which is attributed to the gypsies, the hedgehog is delicious coal-roasted in a ball of clay. During the Dark Ages, hedgehogs were considered an excellent source of food and there are many recipes dating back to that period. It has been said that its flesh tastes a lot like pork, but, then again, I am not sure whether this is fact or fable.

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Fact Sheet

Food
Mainly feeds on invertebrates, but also takes frogs, small reptiles, young birds and mice, carrion, bird eggs, acorns, and berries.

Active
Spring to mid autumn. Hibernates from October till March/April.

Habitat
Open woods and grassy heaths, cultivated land and scrubs.

Distribution
Distributed throughout eastern Europe. It also occurs from Asia Minor to Iran and from Israel to southern Russia and western Siberia. It has been recorded from sea level up to altitudes of 1,200m (approx. 3,900ft).


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Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Chordata; Subphylum: Craniata; Superclass: Gnathostomata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Insectivora; Family: Erinaceidae; Subfamily: Erinaceinae; Genus: Erinaceus; Species: concolor

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References

The above information has been obtained from the following sources (Greek titles have been anglicized for convenience):

• KLIRONOMOU, Z., Editor, UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS and GOULANDRIS MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, 1996. Mammals and Reptiles of Greece. Eleftheros Typos, Athens.
• MACDONALD, D., BARRETT, P. 1993. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Britain and Europe. HarperCollins Publishers, London.
• Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

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