Hedgehog Care and Maintenance Information      Hedgehogs as a
species are shown by fossil records to have been around since
the time of the dinosaurs, which is longer than most other
animals today. Scientifically, hedgehogs are part of the class
of Mammals, which means the young drink milk from their mother;
the subclass of Eutheria, which designates higher mammals as
opposed to those who lay eggs or whose young finish developing
in a pouch (marsupials); the order of Insectivora, which is a
group of small mammals whose primary diet is insects; and the
family of Erinaceidae, which is the most primitive group of
living insectivores, and includes all spiny hedgehogs. Within
this group, there are several varieties of hedgehog. One of the
most frequently heard of, and a popular character in children's
books, is the European Hedgehog. A common garden friend of many
people in parts of Europe, these larger cousins of pet hedgehogs
are often fed and looked after much as bird watchers all over
the world care for and en