Knowra Erinaceidae Erinaceidae Erinaceidae is a mammalian family containing true hedgehogs and moonrats. Its members are small insectivores; many species have spines covering the back.
Eulipotyphla : A mammalian order that includes hedgehogs, shrews, moles, and solenodons. Erinaceidae belongs to this order alongside several families of small insectivorous mammals.
Keratin : A tough structural protein found in hair, nails, claws, and other animal tissues. Hedgehog spines are modified hairs made largely of keratin.
European hedgehog : A hedgehog species native to western and central Europe, with populations also introduced elsewhere. This species is a familiar example in studies of hedgehog ecology and conservation.
Mammal : A vertebrate animal whose females produce milk and whose body is typically covered with hair. Erinaceidae is one family within the mammalian radiation.
Porcupine : A rodent with long, detachable or loosely attached defensive quills. Porcupines also bear spines, but they are rodents rather than hedgehog relatives.
Hedgehog : A small mammal in the subfamily Erinaceinae, typically covered with protective spines. True hedgehogs are the familiar spiny members of Erinaceidae.
Spine (zoology) : A stiff, pointed structure on an animal that can provide defense or other functions. Spines form the family's best-known defensive feature in true hedgehogs.
Four-toed hedgehog : An African hedgehog species distinguished by having four toes on each hind foot. It is widely kept in captivity and is a common example in discussions of hedgehog husbandry.
Placentalia : The mammalian group whose members develop embryos connected to the uterus by a placenta. Hedgehogs and moonrats are placental mammals, rather than marsupials or monotremes.
Echidna : An egg-laying mammal covered in spines, native to Australia and New Guinea. Echidnas look superficially hedgehog-like but belong to a distant mammalian lineage.
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