AllTop Viral!

We all know hedgehogs are super cute, but for many of us, that’s where our knowledge ends.

Thanks to Hannah Keyser at Mental_Floss, though, you are about to be enlightened as to the nature, history and, yes, legality, of these adorable creatures.

A group of hedgehogs is called an “array.”

But it doesn’t come up much, since hedgehogs are solitary creatures who usually come together only to mate.

Hedgehogs are illegal in Maine, Arizona, California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and New York City.

The hedgie as a pet has gained popularity in the past decade—but some cities and states stillqualify them as wild animals, which are not allowed to be kept domestically.

Hedgehogs got their name from their preferred habitat — garden hedges — and the pig-like grunts they make.

Their taste for destructive insects makes them a historically welcome presence in English gardens.

Full story at Mental_Floss via Neatorama.

Tiny, cute little creatures.

Photo credit: Fotolia