Our aim was to investigate the distribution of retinal ganglion cells and visual acuity in hedgehogs, nocturnal insectivores with reputedly poor vision. Adult Erinaceus europaeus and E. roumanicus, two hedgehog species found in Austria, were studied. The eyes were enucleated, fixed, and ocular anatomical parameters were measured. To identify retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), Brn3a, which is expressed by vision-forming RGCs, and RBPMS, which is expressed by vision- and non-vision-forming RGCs, were visualized by fluorescence immunolabeling of retinal frozen sections and wholemounts. RGC density was mapped, and visual acuity was determined from peak RGC density and retinal magnification factor, calculated from the axial length of the eye. We counted a total of 50,000 vision forming RGCs. Densities increased from peripheral to central retina with peaks around 1,300/mm2 in the lower half, especially so, the lower temporal quadrant, receiving light from the anterior, upper visual field. Our calculations indicate that the hedgehog has a maximum angular resolution of 1 cycle/degree. While this resolution is one-tenth that of the domestic cat (10 cycles/degree) and less than of the rabbit (3 cycles/degree), it is comparable to that of the rat (1 cycle/degree) and slightly exceeds that seen in other nocturnal mammals such as mice and hamsters. Our observations support the hedgehog as a weakly visual animal. We hypothesize that spatial vision in hedgehogs is more important for the detection of aerial predators than for the resolution of signals close to the ground.