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Hedgehog. New Naturalist No 137

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    Hedgehog. New Naturalist No 137 Author: Format: Paperback First Published: Published By: HarperCollins Publishers
    string(3) "400"
    Pages: 400 ISBN: 9780008235734 Category:

    The hedgehog is regularly voted Britain’s favourite mammal, and yet we know surprisingly little about the life of this spiny mammal. Pat Morris provides an all-encompassing new study of the hedgehog and its habitat, shedding new light on conservation efforts crucial to the survival of this charming creature of our countryside. Hedgehogs have had a long association with humans, extending back to Ancient Egypt and beyond.

    At times they have been viewed unfavourably, but for most people the hedgehog is an engaging and interesting animal. In recent years it has ousted the badger, dolphin and red squirrel from heading the list of the most popular British mammals. Strong public support makes it an ideal flagship species for encouraging public acceptance of nature conservation principles, particularly in the urban environment.

    The hedgehog is a valuable bioindicator species, attesting to the viability of ecosystems. Their presence is indicative of sustainable populations of important invertebrates, especially earthworms and the many insects whose larvae and adults perform vital ecological functions. In a worrying development, the hedgehog’s plight appears to be worsening, with a new survey revealing a further decline in garden sightings.

    Their long-term but poorly understood decline is attributed to the loss and fragmentation of their habitat in Britain’s towns and countryside, death on roads, and intensive farmland that provides few good foraging or nesting sites. In this timely addition to the New Naturalist Library, Pat Morris provides a comprehensive natural history of this most elusive of mammals. Much of what we think we know about the hedgehog is based on only a small number of studies, most of them not repeated or corroborated.

    With the hedgehog gaining hugely in public prominence, however, support from key charities has enabled a significant enhancement in research activity and professionalism that thankfully continues to illuminate the life of this very special prickly animal.

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    Praise for the New Naturalist series: ‘Taken either individually or as a whole, they are one of the proudest achievements of modern publishing’ The Sunday Times ‘The series is an amazing achievement’ The Times Literary Supplement ‘The books are glorious to own’ Independent

    Author Biography

    Dr Pat Morris was Senior Lecturer in Zoology at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is best known for his studies on hedgehogs over the last 50 years, but also studied water voles, bats and dormice. He was a Council member of the National Trust and (for six years) Chairman of its Nature Conservation Advisory Panel. He was a Vice President of the London Wildlife Trust and is a member of two other county wildlife trusts, the RSPB, various other conservation organisations and the first Honorary Life Member of the Guild of Taxidermists. In September 2000 he was appointed President of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and is a key scientific advisor to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species. He has published over 80 scientific papers, mostly about mammals, and also books on bats, dormice, hedgehogs and (with his wife) the natural history of lakes. He is a popular lecturer on various aspects of natural history and for many years contributed to radio programmes for the BBC and helped to make the TV films The Great Hedgehog Mystery and The Incredible Edible Dormouse. In 2015 he was made MBE for ‘services to the historic and natural environment’.