European hedgehog: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the European hedgehog lives – recorded in 18 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Erinaceus europaeus
Group	Hedgehogs, shrews & moles
Status	Near threatened (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	18 countries
Continents	Europe, Oceania
Class	Mammal
Order	Erinaceomorpha
Family	Erinaceidae

Where does the European hedgehog live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the European hedgehog in 18 countries and territories across Europe and Oceania. In Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Sweden
France (introduced)
Switzerland
Germany (introduced)
United Kingdom
Ireland (introduced)
Norway
Denmark
Finland
Netherlands
Estonia
Spain
New Zealand (introduced)
Belgium
Italy (introduced)
Luxembourg
Austria
Portugal (introduced)

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the European hedgehog endangered?

The European hedgehog’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Near threatened” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the European hedgehog?

The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is a mammal in the order Erinaceomorpha and the family Erinaceidae, genus Erinaceus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the European hedgehog

The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), also known as the West European hedgehog or common hedgehog, is a hedgehog species native to Europe from Iberia and Italy northwards into Scandinavia and westwards into Ireland. It is a generally common and widely distributed species that can survive across a wide range of habitat types. It is a well-known species, and a favourite in European gardens, both for its endearing appearance and its preference for eating a range of garden pests. While populations are currently stable across much of its range, it is declining severely in Great Britain, where it is now Red Listed, meaning that it is considered to be at risk of local extinction. Outside its native range the species was introduced to New Zealand during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article European hedgehog (revision 1376322161), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q6145 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).