- Class: Mammalia (Mammals)
- Order: Rodentia
- Family: Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) , Erethizontidae (New World porcupines)
- Genera: 7
- Species: 23
Porcupines lives in forest,
rocky or mountainous area, desert, rain forest, and prairie. The common porcupine is a herbivore. It eats leaves, herbs, twigs and green plants like clover
and in the winter it may eat bark. The North American porcupine often
climbs trees to find food.
The African porcupine is not a climber and
forages on the ground.It is mostly nocturnal, but will sometimes forage for food in the day. Porcupines have become a pest in Kenya and are eaten as a delicacy A male porcupine urinates on a female porcupine prior to mating, spraying the urine at high velocity They are a type of rodent found in two main regions of the world, so
scientists grouped them into either Old World or New World porcupines.
Old World porcupines
They live in Europe, Africa, and Asia; some examples are the North African crested porcupine, African brush-tailed porcupine, and Indian crested porcupine.
Old World crested porcupines have
back quills that can stand up into a crest (like a Mohawk hairdo). The crest
starts from the top of the head and goes down to the shoulders. They display
their weaponry for all to see. Each quill is boldly marked with black and white
bands. Some quills can be up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) long. These long,
pliable quills act as guard hairs and form a "skirt." When
threatened, the skirt can be erected, making the porcupine appear two to three
times bigger.
Smaller, rigid quills that are 8
inches (20 centimeters) long are densely packed over the rump and back. These
are used to stab any potential threat. At the base of the tail, crested
porcupines have blunt, hollow quills that rattle when shaken, serving as a
warning to potential predators. If the noise doesn't work, the porcupine may
try to charge backward into the predator. When threatened, crested porcupines
stamp their feet, growl, and grunt.
Lifestyle: Old World porcupines spend their
life on the ground. They are fairly social, sometimes traveling in pairs. They
find shelter in caves, rock crevices, holes, or burrows that they may have dug.
They sometimes find shelter in abandoned aardvark holes, which they may change
to suit their own needs. Old World porcupines do not climb or jump very well,
but they are excellent swimmers.
New World porcupines
They live in North, Central, and South America; some examples are the North American porcupine, Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine, and the Brazilian porcupine. The quills of a New World porcupine are much smaller but work just as well. The end of each quill has a small barb (like a fish hook) that snags the flesh, keeping the quill stuck in the enemy's skin. Any animal with a quill lodged in its skin will have a hard time removing it if it doesn't have fingers and thumbs! The North American porcupine's quills can reach 4 inches (10 centimeters) long.When threatened, the animal erects quills that jut out in various directions, like a pincushion. The porcupine may stand still in a defensive pose or it may charge the enemy. New World porcupines are also known to lash out at predators by quickly batting at them with their quill-laden tails. During fights, a New World porcupine also chatters its teeth.
Lifestyle: New World porcupines spend most of
their time alone or in pairs moving through the trees. They may den in tree
nests, rock crevices, brush, logs, and in tangled tree roots. All New World
porcupines have long, curved claws that are excellent for climbing. The Coendou
porcupine species are equipped with prehensile tails that curl around branches,
anchoring them to a tree.
Defense and survival
Porcupines cannot shoot their
quills! Quills are just modified hairs made out of keratin, the same substance found in our own hair
and fingernails. The quills do not cover the underside of the porcupine.
Porcupines have muscles at the base of each quill that allow them to stand up
when the animal is excited or alarmed.
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| The fisher remains a treat to poccupine |
Like all hairs, quills do shed, and
when the porcupine shakes, loose quills can fly off (but without deadly force).
Still, the quills can cause problems, and puncture wounds inflicted by
porcupines are very serious.
Having quills does not necessarily
mean that the porcupine's life is trouble free. Large cats, especially lions,
and human hunters (bushmeat trade) threaten Old World porcupines.
New World porcupines’ predators include martens, wolverines, pythons, eagles,
and great-horned owls.
One porcupine predator, the fisher,
is able to flip the North American porcupine onto its back, exposing its
unprotected belly. In fact, the fisher has been reintroduced to some areas of
North America in hopes of bringing destructive porcupine populations under
control.
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