geografia: Hedgehog

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia and no living species native to the Americas. However, the extinct genus Amphechinus was once present in North America. Hedgehogs share distant ancestry with shrews (family Soricidae), with gymnures possibly being the intermediate link, and they have changed little over the last 15 million years. Like many mammals, they have adapted to a nocturnal way of life. Their spiny protection resembles that of porcupines, whic…

Evidence: 53 • authority: 72

Sea urchins or urchins () are the class Echinoidea within the echinoderms. Approximately 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depths from the intertidal zone to the deep sea. They typically have a globular body covered by spiny protective tests (hard shells), typically from 3 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in) across. Sea urchins move slowly, crawling with their tube feet, and sometimes pushing themselves with their spines. They feed primarily on algae but also eat slow-moving or sessile animals such as crinoids and sponges. Their predators include sharks, sea otters, starfish, wolf eels, triggerfish, and humans. When unchecked by predators, urchins can create urchin barrens, damaged…