, the
Cape porcupine Old World compared with New World species The 11
Old World porcupines tend to be fairly large and have spines grouped in clusters. The two subfamilies of
New World porcupines are mostly smaller (although the
North American porcupine reaches about in length and ), have their quills attached singly rather than grouped in clusters, and are excellent climbers, spending much of their time in trees. The New World porcupines evolved their spines independently (through
convergent evolution) and are more closely related to several other families of rodents than they are to the Old World porcupines.
Description Porcupines are rodents of varying fur color that are characterized by their abundance of protruding spines, or quills, found all along the head and body of the animal. Some species have quills that extend from the tail, as well. They vary in size considerably: an adult
Andean porcupine weighs roughly , while the
crested porcupine can grow to weigh up to .
Longevity Porcupines have relatively long
lifespans and hold the record for being the longest-living rodent, with one individual named Cooper living over 32 years.
Diet The North American porcupine is an herbivore and often climbs trees for food; it eats leaves, herbs, twigs, and green plants such as
clover. In the winter, it may eat bark. The African porcupine is not a climber; instead, it forages on the ground. but sometimes forages for food during the day, eating bark, roots, fruits, berries, and farm crops. Porcupines have become a pest in
Kenya and are eaten as a delicacy.
Defense Defensive behaviour displays in a porcupine depend on sight, scent, and sound. Often, these displays are shown when a porcupine becomes agitated or annoyed. The four main displays seen in a porcupine are (in order from least to most aggressive) quill erection, teeth clattering, odour emission, and attack. A porcupine's colouring aids in part of its defence, as most of the predators are
nocturnal and colour-blind. A porcupine's markings are black and white. The dark body and coarse hair of the porcupine are dark brown/black and when quills are raised, present a white strip down its back mimicking the look of a skunk. This, along with the raising of the sharp quills, deters predators. Along with the raising of the quills, porcupines clatter their teeth to warn predators not to approach. The incisors vibrate against each other, the strike zone shifts back, and the cheek teeth clatter. This behaviour is often paired with body shivering, which is used to further display the dangerous quills. The use of odour is when the sight and sound have failed. An unpleasant scent is produced from the skin above the tail in times of stress and is often seen with a quill erection. If these processes fail, the porcupine attacks by running sideways or backwards into predators. A porcupine's tail can also be swung in the direction of the predator; if contact is made, the quills could be impaled into the predator, causing injury or death.
Quills Porcupines' quills, or
spines, take on various forms depending on the species, but all are modified hairs coated with thick plates of
keratin and are embedded in the
skin musculature. Old World porcupines have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New World porcupines, single quills are interspersed with bristles, underfur, and hair. Quills are released by contact or may drop out when the porcupine shakes its body. New quills grow to replace lost ones. Some possible
antibiotic properties are within the quills, specifically associated with the free fatty acids coating them. The antibiotic properties are believed to aid a porcupine that has suffered from self-injury. ==Ecology==