Deinogalerix
Group Placental mammals
Date Late Miocene
Size 60 cm. long
Location Italy
Deinogalerix was a giant, spineless, hairy hedgehog that lives on Gargano during the Late Miocene, when it was an island off the coast of Italy. Like today’s hedgehogs, to which it was related, Deinogalerix fed on a mixture of insects, and other invertebrates. However, it was huge for an insectivore-weighing as a large cat-and its large body size would have enabled it to hunt birds and small mammals as well. Deinogalerix is a classic example of how small mammals tend to grow large on islands where they do not face competition from larger predators, such as cats, dogs, and bears. However, the giant barn owl Tyto gigantean also lived on Gargano during the Late Miocene and may even have preyed upon Deinogalerix.