Groundhog Day is the first holiday in February, a short month filled with a lot of special days, but Punxsutawney Phil isn't the only cute little critter who spends his winter hibernating and dreaming of spring. Turtles hibernate, bears hibernate, hedgehogs hibernate—wait, hedgehogs?
Q: What do you get when you cross a bush and a pig?
A: A hedgehog!
Have you ever seen a hedgehog? These roly-poly mammals have long dainty noses, big bright eyes and—watch out—very prickly quills! These nocturnal insectivores (which means they go out at night and eat bugs) are found in the wild from North Africa to Europe and are becoming popular pets in North America.
Learn more about hedgehogs on National Geographic Kids, and check out one of these books.
A Little Bit of Winter: Rabbit wants to share winter with his best friend, but how can he when Hedgehog always sleeps through it?
Hedgie's Surprise: Hedgie uses his smarts and his spikes to help his friend Henny protect her eggs so they can hatch.
Porcupining: Cushion is a lonely porcupine looking for love, but his prickly spines keep all the other animals at arm's length until the day he meets a… I bet you can guess!
And for those of you considering bringing a hedgehog into your home or classroom, Hilarious Hedgehogs and Hedgehogs teach beginning readers what they need to know to care for a pet hedgehog.
Q: How do hedgehogs hug?
A: Carefully!
Add a comment to: Hurray for Hedgehogs