Northern white-breasted hedgehog

Description

It differs from the European hedgehog mainly in the lighter colouring of the chest, which stands out clearly from the brown or brown-grey surroundings. The pale sections of the underpart are almost white, and the middle of the chest is always white. The back and the top of the head are covered with spines. If attacked, it can curl up into a ball.

Habitat

The Northern white-breasted hedgehog inhabits farmland, parks and gardens in rural and urban areas, and moderately overgrown forest edges. Like the related European hedgehogs, the Northern white-breasted hedgehog is a synanthropic species and occurs more frequently in cultivated landscapes rather than natural environments. The animals are nocturnal solitary animals, spending the day in a nest to forage at night. Their diet consists mainly of insects, earthworms, millipedes and ants.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nördlicher_Weißbrustigel). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 22 July 2021