-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
A quick drive by in a residential location.
The street is "One Way" and "Access Only" to the border of my house, street parking and disabled access is ok.
This one is in my garden, open plan tarmac, walk straight on from roadside footpath, full permission from me to search, just don't be too long as you will get strange looks from the curtain twitchers and local neighbourhood watch.
A prickly creature that has up to an inch long spines.
Generally a brown colour but can range from white to black.
It has 36 teeth, but incapable of delivering a serious bite to humans.
Will hibernate in the winter to conserve energy when food is scarce.
At the time of hibernation, it's body temperature matches the surroundings,it becomes cold to the touch and its heart rate drops to around 20 beats per minute.
Its babies are born in a nest, normally 4 or 5 young ones, they are bald and eyes are shut.
They can live up to 14 or 15 years, but most live 3 to 7 years.
Their diet comprises of mainly beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, slugs and other small insects.
Don't feed them bread and milk as it makes them poorly, but they are quite partial to cat or dog food, also water to drink.
Their biggest killers today are men and machinery, mostly on the roads.
They do often have fleas, but these do not pass to pets or humans.
They have approx 6000 spines on their back
Adult weight is around 1-2 KG - heaviest in autumn.
Adult males grow to approx 230mm (9") long.
Approx half of the population die before they are a year old.
They can swim, climb walls and run fast - speeds of up to 2 metres a second (4.5 mph)!
The European version was introduced in New Zealand in 1885, where it now lives in the wild.
Ancient Egyptians thought the animal's fat would cure baldness
They are distant relatives of moles and shrews.
They belong to the Erinacerdae family, a family containing hairy ones as well as spiny ones.
The European version is one of 14 species of spiny ones throughout the world.
The ones in the U.S.A. are only kept in captivity, being imported; the species there is Atelerix Albiventris.
Bananas are a favoured food, reputedly good for their digestive systems.
The Top 7 Ways to Kill these creatures
7 – Tangled
Nylon garden netting can be a real hazard to them and other animals, especially when it's left in a pile on the ground. They can easily become entangled and this can restrict the blood flow or cause lacerations to the skin.
Solution - Keep netting at a safe height from the ground so that they can walk under it. When it's finished with, store it away safely.
6 - Burned
Piles of wood and vegetation set aside for burning make a tempting habitat for them. Again they move inside looking for food and cover. When the pile is lit they become trapped and burned alive.
Solution - Re-build piles before lighting
5 - Speared
They like the warmth, cover and food found inside compost heaps. This leaves them open to injuries from garden forks when gardeners turn over the compost.
Solution - turn compost over slowly and carefully. It's easier on your back and safer for any animals inside.
4 - Strimmed
Many of these creatures receive horrendous cuts and amputations as a result of mowers and strimmers each year.
Solution - simply walk through the area before cutting.
3 - Trapped
If there's a pond, swimming pool, drain, trench or hole to fall down, your local one will find it. Many of them drown or become exhausted trying to escape from steep sided pools and holes.
Solution - leave an escape ramp, such as a plank of wood or some chicken wire, so the animal can walk out, and put covers over deep drain holes.
2 - Poisoned
It's that old favourite again, the slug pellet. They can't get enough of them, and many gardeners seem only too happy to accommodate their appetite by putting down billions of them every year. Then there's all the weedkillers and other poisons sprayed and poured over the ground.
Solution - save yourself a fortune and go organic.
And the number one reason... you guessed it...
1 - Driven Over
The only defense our creatures have is to roll up into a ball. Unfortunately this offers no protection from their biggest enemy - the motor car. We're all familiar with the sight of a dead one in the middle of the road. Sadly many of these creatures are mothers with young back at the nest waiting to be fed.
Solution - slow down.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gb Or be Abg Gb Or, gung vf gur dhrfgvba, ba gur Obeqre.
Abeznyyl yvivat va urqtrebjf, svryqf, bcra jbbqf & tneqraf, Guvf bar yvirf va Ubyrf.