Summary

The North African Hedgehog, or Algerian Hedgehog, occurs in the Mediterranean region of Africa, from Morocco to Libya as well as in mainland Spain and other Mediterranean islands, including the Canary Islands, Ibiza, Majorca and Malta The European range of this species, which overlaps with that of the larger European hedgehog, may be due to humans introducing them from Africa. This was definitely the case with a now-extinct population in France.

This specimen came from Algeria. It was purchased from from the French naturalist, explorer and natural history dealer J P Verreaux in 1867.

North African Hedgehogs are hunted for food in some parts of their range and are often accidentally killed on roads. The most serious risks to the species appear to be increased road building as this increases the risk of their becoming roadkill and contributes to the destruction of their habitat. Despite this, populations appear stable though other hedgehog species in the region are declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers them to be of Least Concern.

Specimen Details

Taxonomy

Geospatial Information