Dark-Spored Puffball vs Four-toed Hedgehog

Lycoperdon atropurpureum compared with Atelerix albiventris

Key Differences

• Dark-Spored Puffball is Endangered while Four-toed Hedgehog is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark-Spored Puffball	Four-toed Hedgehog
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)
Family	Lycoperdaceae	Erinaceidae
Genus	Lycoperdon	Atelerix
Species	Lycoperdon atropurpureum	Atelerix albiventris

Conservation Status

Dark-Spored Puffball

EN — Endangered

Four-toed Hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark-Spored Puffball	Four-toed Hedgehog
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dark-Spored Puffball

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Four-toed Hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Ecuador and Spain.