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Home | Animals | Mammals | Rodentia | African Crested Porcupine
African Crested Porcupine
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Hystricidae |
| Genus: | Hystrix |
| Subgenus: | Hystrix |
| Species: | H. cristata |
Description
The North African crested porcupine is the largest porcupine on earth. This rodent is 25 - 29 inches long (63-73 cm) and weighs about 18 - 51 pounds (8-23 kg).
Habitat
The North African crested porcupine is nocturnal. They are very adaptable and can be found in forests, on plantations, in rocky or mountainous areas as well as in deserts. These porcupines find shelter in caves, rock crevices, holes or burrows that they might have dug. They may also find shelter in abandoned aardvark holes, which they may change to suit their own needs. The crested porcupines does not climb or jump.
Diet
North African crested porcupine is an herbivores. It eats bark, roots, fruits, berries and insects. They gnaw on the bones to sharpen their incisor teeth and to obtain calcium at the same time. In the zoo, crested porcupines may be fed yams, apples and spinach. In rural areas, they may eat cultivated crops, such as groundnuts, potatoes, pumpkins and melons. Crested porcupines may travel up to 9 miles (15 km) per night. While eating, crested porcupines hold their food with their front teeth and against the ground. The incisors are sharp and chisel like. They like to eat the soft layers of bark, branches and roots of trees.
Size
20-45 pounds. Average length is 30" Quills may be up to 20" in length.
Status
The African crested porcupine is not listed on the Endangered Species List. However, due to the damage this species has done to cultivated crops, it has been exterminated in several parts of its range. Although the quills are naturally shed, the animals have been killed to take the quills for ornaments and charms.