Hedgehogs are about the size of a rat, and have a predicted maximum lifespan of 5-6 years in captivity.
Hedgehogs in the wild can live up to 16 years old.
It’s interesting that an animal in the wild ends up living longer than an animal in captivity. This seems counterintuitive.
Must be the seafood diet! They see food and eat it.
They may be on to something here!
’Although we saw a high proportion of individuals dying at the age of one year (cars and predators), our data also showed that if the individuals survived this life stage, they could potentially live to become 16 years old and produce offspring for several years. This may be because individual hedgehogs gradually gain more experience as they grow older. If they manage to survive to reach the age of two years or more, they would have likely learned to avoid dangers such as cars and predators.’
It seems that some species of hedgehogs are solitary creatures and have prickly personalities. Forced to live in communal settings, they might suffer from the stress and die early. Other species live in groups, but I don’t know if this correlates with extended lifespans.
I just thought it was interesting as we naturally assume that all animals held in captivity live longer than their wild counterparts. However, this study shows that this is not the case. Also, it may mean that our estimates of lifespans of animals in the wild are wildly off target as this study shows.
Possible other inferences:
Ultra-processed hedgehog chow is crap and severely reduces longevity (similar implications for ultra-processed human chow.)
Social connections (people usually only have 1 pet hedgehog) are vitally important.
These and other factors may be more important than accidents and predators on lifespan.
