1A small nocturnal Old World mammal with a spiny coat and short legs, able to roll itself into a ball for defense.
- Family Erinaceidae: four genera and several species, including the common hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) of western and northern Europe, which is predominantly insectivorous
More example sentences
- Animals co-habiting in the woods include field mice, grey squirrels, hedgehogs and three roe deer.
- Many species of hedgehogs can roll up into a ball, hiding all vulnerable areas of the body under the protective spines.
- The hedgehog is an old world mammal that has possibly changed little over a million years.