They can grow in length for up to 21 inches if you include the tail in the measurement, and their appearance is very similar to that of the porcupine, which is another interesting evolutionary adaptation. A total of 44 pairs of crested porcupines with a litter was observed in three years (Sett 1, N = 10; Sett 2, N = 14; Sett 3, N = 12; Sett 4, N = 8): 59% singletons, 32% twins, 9% triplets.Births occurred throughout the year, with the highest number of litters in February and in October, as well as with the highest number of cubs in mid-winter (). 0000028829 00000 n Additional significant descriptive information. They don’t hibernate and feed all winter, usually at night (nocturnal), but can be seen during the day. Its body is covered with coarse quills 1 to 13 inches long and of varying thicknesses. Porcupine or Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) Order Rodentia. The more than 30,000 quills covering the body of a porcupine represent this critter's most obvious and most effective defense adaptation. Porcupine Quills Porcupines have soft hair, but on their back, sides, and tail it is usually mixed with sharp quills. They consume a variety of natural and agricultural plant material, including roots, bulbs, fruits, grains, drupe and tubers, along with insects and small vertebrates. 0000004556 00000 n 0000019499 00000 n 0000003615 00000 n 0000003092 00000 n Porcupines are very well adapted for their lives in the woods. They have a slow lumbering walk, so cannot run from predators and are often struck by cars making their way across roadways. Their brown quills are barbed and snag the predator’s flesh. After using its specialized teeth to grind the plant matter, undigested fibres are retained in its enlarged functional appendix where they are broken-down by symbiotic gut microorganisms. Its body is covered with coarse quills 1 to 13 inches long and of varying thicknesses. The quills are an ingenious defense because they each sit in a sheath that allows them to release easily when a predator touches them. Hys­trix are highly adapt­able, found in forests, rocky areas, moun­tains, crop­lands, and sand­hill deserts (Nowak 1991; Grz­imek 1990). Name two of the porcupine’s adaptive traits and how each helps it survive:2. Crested porcupines reach adult weight at one to two years and are often sexually mature just before then. h�bbbf`b``j � 5� � endstream endobj 56 0 obj <>/Metadata 7 0 R/PageLabels 4 0 R/Pages 6 0 R/StructTreeRoot 9 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 57 0 obj <>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 612.0 792.0]/Type/Page>> endobj 58 0 obj <> endobj 59 0 obj <> endobj 60 0 obj <> endobj 61 0 obj <> endobj 62 0 obj <> endobj 63 0 obj <> endobj 64 0 obj <>stream To view these resources with no ads, please Login or Subscribe (and help support our site). and are about 30” in length, and have very poor vision. Although the crested porcupine has been confirmed as a “generalist” species in terms of food selection, with adaptations to dig underground storage organs, a strong preference for fruits and epigeal parts of plants was detected in our study. Further, their pointed end has a tiny barb, like a fishhook, that once entered into an animals skin does not pull out easily. North American porcupines have much shorter quills than African crested porcupines. Their brown quills are barbed and snag the predator’s flesh. Both sexes are about 84 cm in length. They shel­ter in caves, rock crevices, aard­vark holes, or bur­rows they dig them­selves (Grz­imek 1990). H�\��j�0����\/JM�L��Z��������8�E�~RT:���g�_����s�IF�ah�0ɶs6�8�B��Ή$��k��i�6}�E���. New quills will grow in to replace lost ones. Mostly herbivorous, this rodent forages long distances in search of food and lives … The crested porcupine is an Old World porcupine inhabiting Italy, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa named for its impressive and defensive crest of 35 centimeter-long quills. The crested porcupine is a mainly nocturnal mammal that shows both moonlight avoidance and some diurnal motor activity, the latter as an extension of its night-time foraging behaviour. Human also eat porcupines in some places. It can grow up to 90 centimeters long and weigh up to 30 kilograms. A single porcupine can have more than 30,000 quills, which are actually sharp bristles of fused hair. Quills sometimes dig into fleshy areas and eventually may kill the predator by causing infections or by stabbing vital areas. When citing a WEBSITE the general format is as follows. 0000028168 00000 n %PDF-1.4 %���� 0000004031 00000 n They have a small head and their body is covered with sharp quills (thick needle-like hairs). Porcupines. Please Login or Subscribe to access downloadable content. They weigh approximately 50 lbs. 0000003287 00000 n 0000005071 00000 n Many pet dogs have fallen for this trick and gotten too close with their sensitive noses. Adaptive traits can improve animals find food, make a safer home, escape predators, survive cold or heat or lack of water. The African porcupine is the largest rodent in the regions they inhabit. Name two of the porcupine’s adaptive traits and how each helps it survive: 2. Terrestrial porcupines are found in the warmer regions of Africa, Asia, and Europe. They have a small head and their body is covered with sharp quills (thick needle-like hairs). There are very few predators that can successfully attack and feed on a porcupine because of the 30,000 quills that cover their head back and tail running in a dorsal band. Their body is armed with long pliable spines, flattened bristly hairs and stout sharp quills. Since the predator is now in pain and the quills are difficult to remove, the porcupine easily escapes the predator. All rights reserved. 0000030773 00000 n 0000007809 00000 n • The word porcupine means ‘quill pig.’ • They are the largest rodent in Africa and the largest of the porcupines. 0000001817 00000 n The porcupine has adaptive traits that help it survive in its forest habitat.1. 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