How long does a hedgehog live? Until very recently, not even the world’s top experts were totally sure.
Even Sophie Lund Rasmussen, a Danish scientist sometimes known by her YouTube handle “Dr. Hedgehog,” thought they could only live to be 9 years old in the wild. Then she found Thorvald.
Thorvald is the name of a European hedgehog who passed away at a wildlife rehabilitation center in central Denmark in 2016. His preserved remains were recently studied as part of a sweeping research project that included nearly 700 deceased hedgehogs.
The goal of the research was to learn why hedgehogs have been dying out at alarming rates. In rural areas, populations of this beloved animal have declined by about 50% over the last two decades, while urban populations have dropped as much as 30%. Some experts suspect habitat loss, but it’s hard to know for sure.
To better understand the issue, Rasmussen, her colleagues, and a small army of volunteers helped collect hundreds of deceased hedgehogs for autopsies. When the results came back from Thorvald’s autopsy, the team realized that he was much older at the time of his death than they had ever thought possible. It was such a stunning discovery that Rasmussen immediately began weeping, she told The Guardian.
This new finding has given conservationists hope for the future of hedgehog populations. Longer-lived animals have more opportunities to reproduce, and therefore tend to be more resilient over time. The study, published in the journal Animals, also states that “The degree of inbreeding did not influence longevity.” This means that even very small populations of hedgehogs could live long enough to breed and rebound.
According to Dr. Hedgehog, that’s great news—both for the future of the species, and for fellow hedgehog enthusiasts everywhere.
