European hedgehog
Scientific name: Erinaceus europaeus Linnaeus, 1758
Overview
The European hedgehog, 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.
From the Wikipedia article “European hedgehog”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Near threatened on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing www.iucnredlist.org.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China).
Common names
Also known in English as Hedgehog, hedgehog, west european hedgehog, western hedgehog, Northern Hedgehog, western European hedgehog, Western Hedgehog, West European Hedgehog.
Names in other languages (12)
- Arabic
- قنفذ أوروبي
- Bengali
- পশ্চিম ইউরোপীয় সজারু
- Chinese
- 西欧刺猬
- French
- hérisson commun, Hérisson d'Europe occidentale, hérisson, hérisson occidental
- German
- Braunbrustigel, Westigel, Westigel, Braunbrustigel
- Indonesian
- Landak Eropa
- Japanese
- ヨーロッパハリネズミ
- Persian
- جوجهتیغی اروپایی
- Portuguese
- ouriço-cacheiro
- Russian
- обыкновенный ёж
- Spanish
- erizo común, Erizo Europeo Occidental
- Turkish
- Avrupa kirpisi
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q6145, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “European hedgehog”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Michael Gäbler, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Chermundy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026