HEDGEHOG

Hedgehog

A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae, which is in order Erinaceomorpha. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas. Hedgehogs share distant ancestry with shrews, with gymnures possibly being the intermediate link, and have changed little over the last 15 million years. Like many of the first mammals they have adapted to a nocturnal, insectivorous way of life. Hedgehogs' spiny protection resembles that of the unrelated rodent porcupines and monotreme echidnas.

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hedgehog

Noun

  1. Small mammal, of the subfamily Erinaceinae, characterized by its spiny back and by its habit of rolling itself into a ball when attacked.
  2. A type of moveable military barricade made from crossed logs or steel bars, laced with barbed wire, used to damage or impede tanks and vehicles; Czech hedgehog.
  3. The nickname for a spigot mortar-type of depth charge weapon from World War II that simultaneously fires a number of explosives into the water to create a pattern of underwater explosions intended to attack submerged submarines.
  4. A type of chocolate cake (or slice), somewhat similar to an American brownie.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: hedgehog
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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