Hedgehogs are usually brown and yellow and have an immensely developed stomach muscle which allows them to curl up into a ball for protection when they are frightened. It eats bugs and berries and has a penchant for slugs, bird eggs and snakes.
Australia's echidna is about 40-55cm long, the erinaceus europaeus hedgehog is 20-25cm long with a round body, stiff spines and a hairy underbelly.
The echidna, one of the oldest unchanged creatures in the world, likes to live in the bush and comes out at night to eat ants and termites with its sticky tongue.
There are more than a dozen species of hedgehog found throughout Africa, Asia and Europe, including the British Isles, where they feast on the eggs of now endangered birds.
The American porcupine, about 75cm long when fully grown, has quills protecting its back, sides and tail, which usually lie flat against its body until the animal is faced with danger.
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