Superhuman hearing and other hedgehog facts

Hedgehog pals could have a whole way of communicating that human ears can't detect, scientists have found.

We already know the round spiky mammals grunt and sniffle at each other, but research has shown that they can also hear really high frequency sounds.

Scientists suggest this means they could be signalling to each other with noises that we simply cannot hear.

A team of scientists at the University of Oxford discovered this while trying to find ways of protecting the species, which is in decline in the UK and Europe.

Dr Sophie Rasmussen and her team did a number of experiments, including creating a 3D model of the mammal's ear.

They found it has a series of tiny bones inside that help really high pitched noises get through, like some bats.

"We discovered, to my great surprise and joy, that hedgehogs can hear up to 85kHz" Dr Sophie said.

Humans can hear up to 20kHz, and all sounds above that are called ultrasound.

Cats hear up to 45kHz, and dogs up to 65kHz, which means hedgehogs can hear higher pitched sounds then all of them.

Dr Sophie said her team's research could help protect hedgehogs from harm.

In 2024, the status of Western European hedgehogs was updated on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to 'Near Threatened'.

That means that without helping them, hedgehogs could become endangered.

So, Dr Sophie's team wanted to create sound repellers to do just that.

These sound repellers would emit noises only hedgehogs could hear, encouraging them to avoid places that are dangerous for them, such as roads or anywhere near farming equipment.

And as a result of their research, Dr Sophie says these devices could be made without bothering humans or their pets, as they can't hear the sounds.

Devices like these already exist for other animals such as deer, and Dr Sophie says more research is needed before making them for our spiky friends.

Facts from WWE and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society