LONDON — Humans aren't the only things suffering during this summer's European heat wave.

From hedgehogs to birds to insects, the extreme temperatures and lack of rain has taken a toll on animals of all sizes.

The faster than usual evaporation of water has forced some animals in the U.K. to leave their natural habitats as they try to quench their thirsts.

The vegetation that animals and insects rely on is drying out, with brown straw replacing lush grasslands. Ponds and streams that are traditionally home to small mammals have seen water levels drop and vegetation dry up. That has meant tough times for Britain's small animals such as voles and hedgehogs, which make their home among the leaves. As plants on banks wilt under the hot sun, they are more vulnerable to predators.

In Scotland, there have been reports of badgers being killed on the roads as they forage farther away from their usual feeding areas, according to the U.K. Wildlife Trusts. Worms, their staple food, have escaped the dry soil by burrowing deeper than usual.

Badgers are among the animals struggling this summer. Russell Cheyne / Reuters file

“The problem with a heat wave that goes on and on is that a lot of the plants the insects depend on dry up,” said Brian Eversham, the CEO of the Wildlife Trust in the east of England.

Wildfires in the northwest of the country last month killed ground nesting birds and small mammals like the field vole. That has meant predators such as the short-eared owl and kestrel have struggled to find food on the burned-out moorlands.

"Only the most mobile animals escape and, of course, we are in peak breeding period for many," said Tim Mitcham, the regional director of conservation at the Wildlife Trust in the aftermath of the fires.

According to Bruce A. Stein, chief scientist at the National Wildlife Federation in Virginia, the most vulnerable animals in a heat wave are often those dependent on particular habitats and those that can’t easily escape the temperatures.