Small and Full of Secrets
Where I live
I nestle in hedgerows, gardens, and woodlands across Europe and parts of Asia and Africa.
Where there’s a place to burrow, a patch of dry leaves, and insects to crunch - I feel at home.
You may hear me rustle through the undergrowth at dusk, or catch a glimpse of me on a moonlit path.
What I eat
Beetles and worms are my favourites - along with slugs, caterpillars, and the occasional frog or berry.
I am not picky, but I am purposeful.
A nighttime wanderer, snuffling for whatever the soil has to offer.
My cousins and how we differ
You may have heard of the tenrec or the echidna - prickly creatures that look like me but come from other corners of the world.
But they are only distant cousins.
We true hedgehogs are our own kind, and proud of our spines - over 5,000 of them, to be exact.
A fun fact about me
When I am overwhelmed by scent - a new smell I do not understand - I perform a curious ritual.
I create a frothy foam and lick it onto my spines.
No one is quite sure why, but I like to think of it as a little magic - my own mysterious way of claiming the moment.
What I wish more humans knew about me
That small does not mean simple.
That solitude can be sweet.
And that even in silence, there is wonder.
