AnimalsWoods
Hedgehog Fun facts for kids
Erinaceus europaeus (European hedgehog); family Erinaceidae includes 17 species
The hedgehog lives in gardens and woods across Europe and eats beetles, worms and snails.
- Where it lives
- in gardens and woods across Europe
- What it eats
- beetles, worms and snails
- How big it is
- rolled up, as big as a grapefruit
Fun facts about the hedgehog
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
When scared, a hedgehog rolls into a tight spiky ball, pulling its prickly skin around itself like a drawstring bag.
When a hedgehog smells something new, it chews it into foamy spit and flicks the bubbles all over its spines.
Hedgehogs are noisy little walkers: they snuffle, snort and grunt, and they can even scream when very scared.
During its long winter sleep, a hedgehog's heart slows from about 190 beats a minute to only about 20.
A hedgehog can't see very well, but it can smell worms and grubs hiding in the soil.
A hedgehog can walk up to 3 kilometres in one night, so people cut little hedgehog highways in garden fences.
Milk upsets a hedgehog's tummy, so it is better to give it water and meaty cat food instead.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
I sleep during the day and come out at night to look for food in gardens and woods.
I can't see very well, but my nose can smell worms and grubs hiding in the soil.
In winter I sleep for months, and my heart slows from 190 beats a minute to about 20.
As I walk through leaves, I snuffle, snort and grunt so loudly that you can hear me coming.
When I'm scared, I roll up into a tight ball covered in sharp prickles.
Sammy might be thinking of a hedgehog.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the hedgehog in the Woods adventure.
Play the WoodsComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
