Hedgehogs range in size from 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 centimeters) and weigh typically from 5 to 56 ounces (155 to 1,584 grams), depending on the species.
Hedgehogs are solitary nocturnal creatures. They hibernate in cold climates, and sleep through times of heat and drought in deserts. This process of sleeping during heat and drought is called aestivation.
Hedgehogs have a diet which includes fruit, fungi, centipedes, insects, snails, worms, mice, frogs, eggs, birds, frogs, reptiles, roots and snakes. Hedgehogs are able to eat one-third of their body weight in just one night.
Hedgehogs only give birth once per year after a gestation of four to six weeks. Their litters usually consist of four to seven young. Each baby hedgehog, called a hoglet or piglet, weighs less than 1 ounce (3 to 25 g) at birth.