hedgehoglike

Hedgehoglike is an adjective used to describe something that resembles a hedgehog in appearance or certain functional traits. In descriptive biology, it commonly refers to a small, compact body with a dense, spiny or bristly covering, a short snout, and stout limbs. Behaviors associated with hedgehogs, such as nocturnality and omnivorous foraging, may be invoked when those traits are relevant, but hedgehoglike does not imply exact kinship.

Etymology: The term is formed from hedgehog, the mammal name, plus the suffix -like, indicating similarity. It is not a formal taxonomic label.

Usage: Hedgehoglike is chiefly a descriptive or comparative term used in field notes, paleontology, and descriptive art to suggest hedgehog-like morphology or ecology. It can apply to modern or extinct organisms inferred to have spiny protection or a similar body plan, without asserting close phylogenetic relationship to true hedgehogs (family Erinaceidae).

Limitations: Because it is approximate, hedgehoglike should be used with care, and authors may prefer more precise descriptors when possible (e.g., spiny, quilled, hedgehog-shaped, compact-bodied).

See also: Hedgehog; Erinaceidae; spines; spiny mammals.