Hedgehog
Description: Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus).
UK reports are coming back with worrying statistics that between 2002 and 2017 over one third of their population of hedgehogs died, but little is known about the Isle of Man’s spikey residents. Manx Wildlife Trust set up a citizen science project so Islanders could contribute by setting up a hedgehog tunnel to help monitor numbers. Hedgehogs are insectivores and an asset to any garden, eating the pests that eat our flowers and vegetables. They use sheltered places with dry leaves to hibernate over winter and although some people do like to leave food out for them, it is advised to never leave out bread and milk as they are lactose intolerant and it can kill them. If people do not want to buy special hedgehog food then cat biscuits are a good alternative.
Leaving shallow dishes of water out on the ground, particularly in the hotter, drier months is appreciated by many animals, including hedgehogs.
Taxonomic name: Erinaceus europaeus
Collection: Natural History Zoology Collection
ID number: 1954-2072
Subject tags : #MM100