This week Colchester Zoo has welcomed an African pygmy hedgehog! This new arrival has moved into its new home at the Sensation Station - the perfect place for an animal who relies on its different senses to survive!
A full-grown African pygmy hedgehog can be anything from as little as 12cm long to a slightly less pygmy sized 30cm long and can weigh up to 700g. All hedgehogs are short-sighted and have a very limited field of view, because of this they rely mostly on their great sense of smell, which is why you can see them constantly sniffing their surroundings. Their sense of smell is so good that they can even smell a worm deep beneath the soil!
Hedgehogs are nocturnal but when awake, are quite vocal and can be heard making a variety of sounds, such as hisses, growls, squeals, and chirps. Unlike our soft rabbits or scaly snakes who also live at the Sensation Station, hedgehogs are known for their spiky exterior. The upper part of their body is covered with around 6,000 short, protective spines and when a hedgehog feels threatened, it will roll into a ball to protect itself.
African pygmy hedgehogs are listed as least concern on the IUCN red list and are most commonly found in dry, grassy areas in a wide region of central Africa.
As well as this new arrival to the sensation station, Arthur the Spur-thighed tortoise will also be out and about ready to meet people again after coming out of his winter hibernation!