Mammals

Somali hedgehog (Atelerix sclateri)

The Somali hedgehog (Atelerix sclateri) is a small night-active hedgehog found only in Somalia. It lives in grassland and other open savanna. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern, and little is known about it.

Last checked 2026-11-13 6 sources Reading time: 2 min

In short

The Somali hedgehog (Atelerix sclateri) is a mammal of the hedgehog family, Erinaceidae. It is endemic to Somalia, which means it is found nowhere else, and it is active at night (Wikipedia, Somali hedgehog, backup).

It was described by Anderson in 1895 (GBIF Backbone Taxonomy).

Where it lives

The IUCN Red List assessment describes it as a savanna species, believed to live mostly in grassland and other open habitats, in the outer parts of Somalia (IUCN Red List, Atelerix sclateri, 2016).

Little research has been done on it. The assessment records no known current threats to its habitat (same source).

Records in Somali lands

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) holds 5 records of the Somali hedgehog from Somalia, dated from 1895 to 2023 (GBIF occurrence search, Somalia). By type: 2 sightings by people, 2 specimens cited in published papers, 1 museum specimen.

Records that name a region (2 of 5), by region: Togdheer 2 (same source).

The oldest dated record is a museum specimen from 1895, from a place recorded as "Berbera", held by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (GBIF record 1321092727).

The newest dated record is a sighting by a person from 2023, from Togdheer, held by iNaturalist (GBIF record 4039200665).

GBIF only holds what museums, scientists and observers have shared, so the counts show where the animal or plant has been recorded, not its full range.

Red List status

The IUCN Red List category for the Somali hedgehog is Least Concern (IUCN Red List assessment; GBIF species page).

Classification

Rank Name
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Erinaceomorpha
Family Erinaceidae
Genus Atelerix
Species Atelerix sclateri

Scientific name with author: Atelerix sclateri Anderson, 1895 (GBIF Backbone Taxonomy).

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, Somali hedgehog, backup · en.wikipedia.org
  2. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · gbif.org
  3. IUCN Red List, Atelerix sclateri, 2016 · doi.org
  4. GBIF occurrence search, Somalia · gbif.org
  5. GBIF record 1321092727 · gbif.org
  6. GBIF record 4039200665 · inaturalist.org

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