New Lit Alert! Melanic urban hedgehogs!

Published April 10, 2025 in Mammal Research:

Melanin-based colouration in European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus): is it under selection in urban environments?

Isabelle Defosseux, Cécile le Barzic, Pascal Arné, Grégory Jouvion & Julien Gasparini

Abstract: Urbanisation is currently expanding at small and global scales, forcing several species to adapt to this new environment. In this context, we investigated whether the variation in melanin-based colouration observed in European Hedgehogs could reflect adaptation to urbanisation as previously reported in other species. To address this question, we quantified the eumelanin-based colouration of 55 hedgehogs (29 males and 26 females) from photographs taken at a wildlife care centre and correlated this colouration with the level of urbanisation, which was estimated using a geographic information system (GIS) approach. Our results report the existence of a continuous variation in melanin-based colouration in hedgehogs which was negatively correlated with the level of urbanisation. Our correlative results suggest the existence of selection by urban environments on the melanin-based colouration in hedgehogs. The adaptive role of this colouration in urban environments remains to be identified.

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Kristin Winchell

Assistant Professor at New York University

Co-founder of LITC along with E. Carlen and L. Miles. I'm an Assistant Professor in the Biology department at New York University. I study urban evolution from a functional morphological perspective. I like herps.

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