Spike in numbers: Sounds good for hedgehog survival rates

Hedgehog numbers are falling all over Europe. But new research shows there’s a ray of hope for this ancient beast

You might expect that hedgehogs, rummaging for creepy-crawlies in leaf-litter, would have little use for high-pitched noise detection. But you’d be wrong! Picture: iStiock

The fox has many tricks. The hedgehog has but one. But that is the best of all. Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Hedgehog numbers are falling all over Europe. But now there’s a ray of hope for this ancient beast; new research suggests that its extraordinary acoustic ability might be harnessed to help rescue it.