I have been lucky and fortunate to meet two little hedgehogs when parking my car.
My surprise to see these little ones in the grass, eating has been a blessing of nature.
The hedgehogs when feeling my steps and my smell, stayed still and activated their defense mechanism, when they are in danger.
When threatened, hedgehogs are able to roll up on themselves into a spiked ball.The effectiveness of this ability depends on the number of spikes they possess. So desert hedgehogs, which have evolved to be less heavy, prefer to run away or even attack the intruder with their spikes rather than rely on their coiling defense. Different defense methods carry with them different species of predators: while forest urchins do not have excessive predators, mainly owls and polecats, small species such as the long-eared hedgehog Hemiechinus auritus are prey for foxes, wolves or mongooses.
All hedgehog species are mainly nocturnal, although some may be more active during the day than others. They sleep for much of the day in the grass or in holes in the ground. Hedgehogs usually dig burrows to protect themselves. All species suffer times of lethargy; some hibernate in winter and others hibernate in summer, depending on the species, temperature and abundance of food. Hedgehogs make a wide range of sounds to communicate with, from grunts to loud screeches. They are a species very sensitive to noise and sudden movements. Every time they hear some noise other than the one they are not used to, they protect themselves with their spikes by making a ball and emitting a sound (like a fast breathing). All the time they are sniffing and they move the nose in a very particular way (from one side to the other). Occasionally hedgehogs perform a ritual known as self-anointing. Upon perceiving a new smell, the hedgehog will run to its source, smell it and bite it. Then he will stick the scent foam from his mouth onto his spines with his tongue. The nature of this behavior is unclear but it is speculated that it may serve as camouflage. Babies perform self-anointing even before opening their eyes.
Enjoy the moment of being in contact with these two little hedgehogs of the wild world.