Groundhog Day
The American holiday ‘Groundhog Day’ originated in Ancient Rome as ‘Hedgehog Day’.
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
A story in the book ‘Grimms’ Fairy Tales’ is called Hans-My-Hedgehog: A boy born half-hedgehog, half-boy.
The tale follows the events in the life of a diminutive half-hedgehog, half-human creature named Hans who eventually sheds his animal skin and turns wholly human after winning a princess.
Hedgehogs are featured in Alice in Wonderland.
In the 1865 children’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carrol included hedgehogs in a strange cameo role. In the book, the Red Queen uses hedgehogs as balls for croquet.
Hungarian hedgehog legend
According to the legend, early on, there was no dry land; the entire world was just a big lake. It was a giant hedgehog who brought soil and sand with its needles, creating dry land.
The Báixiān (“White Immortal”) is a Hedgehog God.
In North-Eastern China, Báixiān the hedgehog is one of five immortal gods. He is primarily worshipped as a medical deity to prevent and cure diseases.
A group of hedgehogs is called an array
According to the legend, early on, there was no dry land; the entire world was just a big lake. It was a giant hedgehog who brought soil and sand with its needles, creating dry land.
A hedgehog has between 5,000 – 7,000 quills
Hedgehogs got their name from their preferred habitat
Their taste for destructive insects makes them a historically welcome presence in English gardens’ garden hedges - and the pig-like grunts they make.
Hedgehogs are largely immune to snake venom
This means that, although their typical diet consists of insects and berries, they can take down a viper in a fight - and eat it too.
The sea urchin is actually named after hedgehogs
Before the more adorable name came into use, the spiky mammals were called "urchins" throughout the Middle Ages, and thus inspired the name of the similarly spiky sea creatures. Baby hedgehogs are still called urchins.
In New Zealand, a satirical political party tried to get a hedgehog elected into Parliament.
The McGillicuddy Serious Party was unsuccessful with its tiny candidate.
