Their mortality rate is mostly caused by predators, among which are badgers, dogs, or owls. The upper age limit for the western hedgehog is considered to be nine years old, but some specimens exceed that limit.
Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen of the University of Southern Denmark, during her research, conducted around 700 autopsies of hedgehogs. During her research, she analyzed the jaws of potentially 13- and 16-year-old specimens.
