The small spiny mammal of Maltese gardens and fields, often seen after dark.
The North African hedgehog (il-qanfud) is paler than the European hedgehog, with a white face. It eats snails, beetles and other insects at night and rolls into a ball when frightened. It is found in gardens, farms and countryside across Malta and Gozo.
Threats
Road traffic, garden poisons and slug pellets, and loss of fields and rubble walls.
How to help
Do not use slug pellets or rat poison, leave a gap in garden walls, and take injured hedgehogs to a vet or the Wildlife Rescue contacts.
Photo: Slim Alileche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
