The hedgehog is various genii of small prickly carnivorous mammals of the order Insectivora, family Erinaceidae. They are solitary, nocturnal animals feeding on caterpillars, beetles, slugs, worms, young mice, eggs and fruit. Hedgehogs grow to about 30 centimetres long and can live up to six years. Hedgehogs are so called on account of their cooked flesh closely resembling that of the hog or pig. Research Hedgehog