Hedgehogs are at home in the city too
The hedgehog has settled in perfectly in major cities: sleeping by day, roaming the neighbourhoods by night in search of food. How hedgehogs manage in urban habitats. More on nature and wildlife.
Sleeping by day and roaming the city by night in search of food – the hedgehog has settled in well in major cities.
Its behavior has barely changed compared to its rural counterpart.
Hedgehogs living in the city follow the same patterns as their counterparts in the countryside, despite higher temperatures and a constant food supply. The animals also retreat into a long, deep hibernation in a major city, as a study by Lisa Warnecke at the Zoological Institute of the University of Hamburg found.
Hibernating next to a four-lane road
The hedgehog's persistence pays off: Warnecke sees this behavior as the secret to the success of the hedgehog, one of the oldest mammals in the world. After 15 million years of existence, the spiny creature seems entirely unfazed by the hectic pace of city life.
«Even hedgehogs that hibernate next to a four-lane main road fall into a solid winter sleep,» says Warnecke. Since hedgehogs navigate primarily through their sense of smell, the noise of the city likely bothers them far less.
Hedgehogs tracked with transmitters
For the past year and a half, the expert and her students have been observing 14 individuals, which they tagged with transmitters for their research. The team also tracked the hedgehogs' range of movement. The nocturnal animals were found to prefer private gardens during the day. At night, once people have withdrawn from the city's green spaces, the hedgehogs seek out the quiet of the parks.
The urban hedgehogs cover an area of around five hectares – just over seven football pitches. «The hedgehogs we tagged covered more than 100 metres per hour. On a summer night, the animals can be out and about for up to eight hours. That really adds up,» says Warnecke.
Rural hedgehogs have larger territories
Their counterparts in the countryside have significantly larger territories: they can cover up to 50 hectares in a single night – around 70 football pitches. Hedgehogs have fixed territories. In the city, these loyal homebodies are simply squeezed closer together.
Warnecke and her team observed hedgehogs in two Hamburg parks. The researcher emphasizes that the findings can be applied to other German cities.
Drastically altered habitat
The hedgehog's natural habitat has changed dramatically with modern agriculture. There are fewer hedges and bushes available as retreats. In cities too, urban development, heavy road traffic, and a lack of hiding places take their toll on hedgehogs. The one advantage cities offer is a richer food supply — thanks to food scraps or cat food left out on private garden terraces.
Hedgehogs are wild animals and are protected by law. Only injured, sick, or helpless individuals may be taken into captivity. According to the nature conservation organization NABU, taking in a hedgehog during winter should be the exception rather than the rule. Researcher Warnecke hopes her findings will provide guidance for better protecting the animal in urban environments — for example, ensuring that public green spaces refrain from using rat poison and that both public parks and private gardens provide refuges for hedgehogs.
