The Curious Incident of the Hedgehog in the Night-Time

[Amoeba]

I went out this morning to find a hedgehog, the first hedgehog I've ever seen that wasn't in a book or on television. Unfortunately it was dead.

Thing is, there's something I can't figure out. Its internal organs were outside of its body. At first I thought since it was on the curb-side that perhaps it had been run over by a car and the insides had been pushed out by the weight of the car. Thing is, the hedgehog had clearly never suffered any weight applied to it - it wasn't even the slightest bit flattened, not a single broken spine, nothing. Its internal organs were also for the most part intact, you'd think there would have been haemorrhaging if it had been under a car wheel.

The strangest part was how clean everything was. No blood, no visible signs of any other form of damage except the chillingly clean cut laceration on its belly and the neatly placed organs right next to it. The only sign of anything having had been near it was a stringy bit of membrane from its stomach stuck to the curb. The hedgehog's eyes were closed as if it were asleep, not the sign of a sudden death.

What could have done this? If it was not a car (possible but I really doubt it was a car) why would its killer not have eaten it? Could a cat have done it, you know how a cat likes to do that 'kick' movement where it grabs its prey and slashes/kicks with its hind claws. Maybe that could have opened the wound and maybe the cat lost interest (as some domestic cats do, preferring the food their owners provide) and left the hedgehog to die?

It's a puzzle, any other ideas?

[Marcia]

Poor hog...

I haven't got a clue, but I could guess that maybe the hog was already dead for a while before an animal (fox, badger, cat) opened it and realised that it wasn't fresh to eat...?

I don't know if run over hoggies necessarily needs to look flat and with broken spines, someone more experienced in rescue might know better than me.

Off toppic: BTW, I love the book "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time".

[Amoeba]

I didn't think it would take long for someone to get the reference. I didn't like the book to be honest, but maybe that's because I was forced to read it in school and didn't pick it up of my own accord. Could maybe appreciate it more now I'm older.

The only thing I can say is that it smelled fresh to me. I didn't bend down for a smell but I did bend down to look closer at the wound and the smell coming off of it was very faint and slightly appetizing (don't worry I'm not a scavenger lol) like the meat I leave out to defrost.

[valleyforge]

Hedgehogs have fairly tough skins ... thicker than you might imagine for a small mammal ... and spines (being modified hairs) are quite resilient (especially so in youngsters) and not particularly brittle. The rib cage too is quite pliant, which allows hogs to squeeze through quite narrow gaps in fences, so compression may not show obvious distortion.

There's not a great deal of blood to begin with within the small body of a hoggie, and once the heart stops beating, then you won't get a great deal leaking out post mortem, even through an extensive wound.

Given the location of the corpse, I think it is more than likely that death was caused by vehicle.

I'm afraid I've examined lots of hedgehog roadkill, and unless hit squarely with a car tyre there generally is no obvious flattening, but eviceration is common place. Tightly closed eyes is a pain reflex, so unfortunately the hedgehog probably suffered initial contact with it's hind quarters, as direct compression of the skull would likely have forced one or other eyeball from the sockets.

Cats are not a great danger to mature hedgehogs, as once curled up they are pretty well protected from anything a cat could deliver.

Once it is confirmed that life is extinct, it is always best to remove any road casualty (of any species) from the carriageway (provided it is safe to do so), to ensure that any carrion eaters do not suffer a similar fate.

I hope your next encounter with a hedgehog is in happier circumstances.

[Marcia]

it's a nice book, a good example of how an Asperger Syndrome child's mind works with and how difficult it's for them to interact with people. But I understand that it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

And erm... be careful when you leave meat out to defrost... bacteria thrives at room temperature, it's better to thaw it in the refrigerator or microwave: Food Standard Agency.

Back to the hedgehog, it's like CSI isn't it? A bird could also have made the incision, looking for nuts/seeds in the guts, perhaps...?

Edit:
Ooops, just noticed that VF replied you. There you go, roadkill probably. You can call your council and they will remove it for you if you want. I asked our council to do that twice (dead crow and moorhen), not because I couldn't do it myself but because I wanted them to see that lots of wildlife were dying in that road where no-one cared to reinforce the 30mph limit. Now they put electronic signs up... *sigh*...

[Amoeba]

Ah, then probably the most likely cause. The car in question must have been very close to or even on the curb - as I said a stringy bit of what looked to be membrane was still stuck to the top side of the curb.

Either the driver wasn't watching where they were going properly, swerved for some reason or... used the hedgehog as target practice (going by the mentality of some people round here I'm not surprised).

Poor creature... I do hope it was fairly quick. What a painful way to go.

I'll see if I can get it up on to the grass next time I'm out (a time I wish I had disposable gloves). I'm sure a lot of crows and gulls round here would be thrilled to chance upon it.

Oh, I'll be careful with my meat. I always cook it thoroughly, kills off most bugs. Our refrigerator is a bit broken, it freezes things. I never have anything 'rare' or 'medium', only 'well done'.