What do porcupines eat? Porcupines (lat. Hystrix). Where does the porcupine live?

Porcupines are amazing animals that cannot be confused with other representatives of the fauna. The length of porcupine quills can reach 50 cm and have a thickness of about 7 mm.

Previously, the animal had fur, but in the process of development, soft bristles were replaced by harder hair.

Between the long needles grow elongated spines up to 15–30 cm long, which serve as cover for the delicate fur of the porcupine.

Porcupine quills

The porcupine animal has hair on its head, lower limbs and body, and the animal's tail has bristles with thick quills. When danger approaches, the porcupine raises its needle-like “coat,” making a rattling sound with a crash.

The quills of the porcupine are colored black and white, and the bristly part is colored brown.

Below are photos of a porcupine.

Structure

The length of the body depends on the type of porcupine, so it can range from 35 to 90 cm, the weight of the animal ranges from 2 to 27 kg. Below are photos of the porcupine animal, where you can get acquainted with the various individuals in more detail.

The mass of a porcupine depends not only on the species, but also on the density of the body structure.

The animal's legs are short and covered with small hairs. Due to its small limbs, the porcupine's movement looks clumsy and slow. However, in case of danger, these representatives of the fauna are able to run.

The forelimbs have 3 or 4 fingers, the hind legs are five-toed. Each finger has a black claw. The sole of the paws is smooth.

In most groups of porcupines, the tail length varies from 6 to 15 cm. The exception is the long-tailed and brush-tailed porcupines, in which the tail grows up to 25 cm.

The animal's skull has a slightly elongated shape, and the muzzle is blunt and rounded. The head of most porcupines is covered with a short woolly hair or comb of bristles.

Porcupine teeth

The animal has molars with an almost flat chewing base. The incisors are quite developed, and due to their orange color they are clearly visible even with the mouth closed.

The porcupine is not in danger of completely wearing down its teeth, because they grow throughout their lives. The total number of all porcupine teeth is 20 pieces.

The eyes, ears and voice of a porcupine

The shape of the eyes of porcupines is round, their size is quite small. The animal's ears are inconspicuous and resemble and slightly resemble human auricles.

The porcupine at rest is a silent species of animal. However, when displeased or in danger, they begin to grunt and puff.

Lifespan

The life of a porcupine in captivity increases several times. In the wild, animals live up to 10 years.

Enemies of the porcupine

There are many opponents and hunters of porcupine: Bears; Wolves; Lynx; Foxes.

Some sources cite attempts by the American eagle owl to get the spiny animal as prey.

The massiveness of the enemy does not frighten the porcupine; when alarm approaches, the porcupine raises its quills and loudly begins to stomp its feet, making loud sounds. If this attempt at defense does not scare off the enemy, then the porcupine goes on the offensive, jumping at the enemy with bulging quills.

Wounded animals are not able to remove the needles from the body themselves, so, exhausted from hunger, they look for easy prey.

The main enemy of the porcupine is the crocodile and man. Scientists have found the remains of porcupines in the stomachs of some crocodiles.

Porcupine and man

A porcupine in the wild does not cause any harm to humans at rest. However, if an animal ends up on an agricultural plantation, then it will definitely have somewhere to roam.

This type of animal will easily eat crops, dig up the ground and even gnaw through watering hoses. Such tactless behavior became the basis for the initiation of a policy of extermination of these animals.

Another reason for hunting porcupines is the meat of an animal that resembles the taste of a rabbit, only more juicy and tender.

Does a porcupine shoot quills?

Most of us mistakenly think that a porcupine, when an alarm is approaching, shoots a lot of quills at the enemy.

This assumption is a myth. Due to the fragile attachment of the quills to the body, they simply fall off at the moment of a sharp attack by the porcupine.

Do needles contain poison?

When an enemy is hit with a needle, it penetrates quite deeply into the tissue. The needles themselves do not contain any poison. However, in the process of wearing protective equipment, many types of bacteria and dirt accumulate on the porcupine’s body.

Therefore, when an animal is wounded, it simply causes suppuration and then blood poisoning. Which can be fatal.

Photo of a porcupine

The animal porcupine is a very unusual creature. It belongs to rodents and is a member of the porcupine family.

Appearance of a porcupine

The porcupine is partly a rodent with large quills. The animal is sometimes quite large in size. Porcupines can grow to be more than a meter long (including tail), and they weigh, on average, from 8 to 12 kilograms. But there were individuals whose weight reached as much as 27 kilograms!

The entire body of this rodent is covered with prickly needles, the longest ones grow along the body in the middle of the back and can reach 50 centimeters. A kind of bristle grows between the quills, and the porcupine’s head is “decorated” with a comb. Sharp “thorns” tend to fall out, and new ones immediately begin to grow in their place. There are up to 30,000 pieces on the body.

The needles can be white, black or dark brown. The inside of the needles is empty, so it is not at all difficult for the porcupine to “carry” them. And when the animal swims, the needles, due to the fact that they are hollow, play the role of an “inflatable ring” and help to float easier on the water.

The animal's muzzle is covered with dark fur; there are no needles on its face or abdomen. The porcupine has very tiny round eyes and equally small ears. As a representative of rodents, the porcupine has strong and sharp teeth that can even bite through wire!

Due to the short legs that nature has endowed them with, they cannot run fast. Therefore, you have to walk slowly, as if waddling, which makes the animal look very clumsy. However, if a porcupine senses danger, it can run at a heavy gallop.

Where do porcupines live?

In the countries of Southeast Asia, Southern Europe, Asia Minor and the Middle East, porcupines are quite widespread. They can be found in deserts, on foothill plains, but most of all the animal likes to settle in mountainous areas. He likes to build his home secretly - in caves, between stones, so that at first glance it is difficult to notice. If a porcupine chooses an area with soft soil, it can even dig a hole for itself, the length of passages in which reaches 10 meters and the depth - up to 4 meters. But it doesn’t matter what place this rodent chose to live, any of its houses has a complex structure with several exits to the surface.

Porcupine lifestyle and nutrition

The porcupine is an animal that is primarily nocturnal. With the onset of winter, he rarely leaves his “home”, but does not hibernate.

In order not to remain hungry, the porcupine sometimes builds its home near human settlements (villages, villages) and raids vegetable gardens, feeding on melons.

The main food for this rodent is vegetation. He loves to eat not only roots, bulbs, tubers, but also above-ground shoots of plants (greens). In addition, he loves watermelons, melons, pumpkins, and cucumbers. When winter comes and there is no greenery, the porcupine gnaws the tree bark.

Melons are the porcupine's favorite delicacy

Offspring of porcupines

Porcupines breed in March. Pregnancy lasts about 110 – 115 days, then small porcupines are born. In total, one female gives birth to 2 to 5 babies. Small animals are sighted from birth, have teeth and soft needles, which begin to harden within a few days. The cubs' mother feeds them milk for about two weeks after birth.

How does a porcupine defend itself?

These animals, despite their relatively small size, feel quite calm, even when meeting large predators. If a porcupine meets

The message about the porcupine can be used by students in preparation for the lesson. The story about the porcupine can be supplemented with interesting facts.

Report about the porcupine

Porcupines- family of the order of rodents.

Where do porcupines live? The distribution area of ​​porcupines covers tropical and subtropical Asia and Africa. Their home can be foothills and plains, savannas and deserts, tropical forests. Animals spend the day in cozy burrows and caves. And in the evening they come to the surface for food.

How long do porcupines live? Life expectancy in the wild is about 15 years.

Description of the porcupine

The body length of a porcupine is from 38 to 90 cm. The weight ranges from 2-3 kg and reaches 27 kg. The back, sides and tail of porcupines are covered with quills. The hair color is brown, and the needles have alternating black and white stripes.

The number of needles on an animal is approximately 30,000 pieces! All the quills covering the porcupine's body are hollow. Therefore, when the animal is in the water, the needles serve as a buoy for it. And in a fight with predators, needles are the main means of defense. And the porcupine does not suffer from the loss of quills, since new ones quickly grow in place of the old ones.

What does a porcupine eat?

Plant food is the basis of the porcupine’s diet: green and root parts of plants, tubers and bulbs, melons, pumpkins, cucumbers, the lower part of vegetation and bark. To chew them, animals have powerful incisors that always grow and remain sharp. To search for food, a porcupine sometimes has to move 5-7 kilometers from its place of residence. And only as cold weather sets in, the porcupine loses its summer activity. It rarely leaves the burrow and then hibernates until spring.

The porcupine leads a solitary lifestyle. And spring is the breeding season of the porcupine. The female carries the babies for 110-115 days. Then 2-5 toothy rodents are born. At birth, their body is covered with soft needles. However, very soon the babies become like their own parents.

True artists

The porcupine is truly an amazing animal, it is capable of both making you laugh and at the same time moving you to tears, which even among people is given only to truly great clowns. But this animal will put any clown to shame. Quite large in itself (up to 30 cm in height, up to 1 meter in length and weighing about 25 kg), the porcupine is endowed with small, thick paws and a long, prehensile tail. But the most amusing thing is his muzzle: a potato-like nose suspiciously sniffing in all directions, and to the right and left - small, cunning eyes, in which, if you wish, you can see the sadness characteristic of all great comedians.

“Watching the porcupine,” Darrell wrote, “I could have sworn that the animal knew not only that it was funny, but also how to make it funny. Flat, shuffling hind legs and a dragging tail - he has all the attributes of a real clown, and he knows how to get the most out of them. So he does something terribly stupid, but with such an innocently puzzled look that you feel both laughter and pity for this poor, stumbling, gentle beast.”

As true artists, porcupines prefer to stay away from the bustle and noise. They settle in deserted foothills and hills, savannas and dense forests. They can be found in the south of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, Syria, Jordan and Israel. In the east, porcupines are common in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and all the way to southern China. The porcupine lives throughout almost all of India and Sri Lanka. Three species of porcupines inhabit Africa. America and Canada have their own family, it’s called American porcupines.

Thorn

In addition to the acting talents of a comedian, the main decoration of the porcupine is, undoubtedly, its long quills, of which it can have up to 30,000 on its body!

Porcupine cubs are born with quills. True, at first the needles are very soft and fragile, but within a few hours after the baby is born they harden and acquire a characteristic color.

Porcupine quills produce a stunning effect with their size and variegated coloring - especially when the animal pricks them. For a long time there have been legends that porcupines can shoot quills at their opponents like arrows, but this is not true. In fact, those quills that grow on the head and front of the back of a porcupine in the form of a thick ridge, and the longest and rarest quills growing on the lower back, simply fall out easily and cannot cause serious harm. But between them there are shorter and thicker, but very sharp and durable spikes. They are even capable of piercing a rough leather boot and seriously injuring a person.

True, nature also made sure that porcupines, while defending themselves, could preserve their long quills if possible. For example, one species of porcupine has barbs at the tip of its quills, like small harpoons, that prevent the quills from penetrating deep into the enemy’s body. They allow the porcupine to either pull out the quill or break off its tip. If the attacker escaped and took away several quills as a “memento”, then this is a fixable problem - in a few weeks the porcupine will grow new ones.

Needle floats

At first glance, the huge number of quills, which look very heavy, makes the porcupine clumsy and does not allow it to move quickly. In fact, one needle weighs only 25 grams! Moreover, it is thanks to its quills that the porcupine swims well and floats perfectly on the water. Hollow inside, the needles act as floats.

Of course, needles protect their owner from predators. But they also become the cause of his death. People hunt these animals mainly for their quills, which they use to make various ornaments. And in South Africa, for example, such an exotic dish as fried porcupine skin, naturally without quills, is highly valued.

But hunting a porcupine is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. If you startle a porcupine, it will immediately bristle, rustle loudly with its tail and try to escape into its hole. Chasing a porcupine in the dark is a thankless task. This cunning animal likes to stop suddenly, as a result of which the pursuer runs straight into sharp needles.

Porcupine House

If you want to watch a porcupine in the wild, the best time to do this is at dawn. All porcupines are exclusively nocturnal and return to their burrow in the morning. There, in a deep hole or cave, they sleep all day. The burrows dug by porcupines often exceed 20 meters in length and can go underground to a depth of 4 meters. Usually, a hole has several entrances - just in case, but most often the porcupine uses only one.

The main entrance can be easily identified by a deep funnel with a diameter of about one and a half meters. Secondary moves are two times smaller. Next to the hole there is usually a well-compacted area made of earth thrown out when digging the hole. The porcupine likes to rest on this site after a hearty lunch. The hole itself has several extensions inside - “rooms”, and in one of them there is a carefully lined nest. If a porcupine finds someone else's empty hole, it will not hesitate to occupy it.

Favorite food

Porcupines are rodents and have extremely strong teeth that can even chew through steel wire! A porcupine's teeth grow throughout its life, and they need to be constantly ground down. Moreover, the enamel on the front side is stronger than the rest; Thus, the teeth themselves are constantly sharpened! But to keep their teeth in perfect order, porcupines need an appropriate sharpening tool: bones, shed antlers or elephant tusks.

The porcupine is a vegetarian; its diet in the forest is based on leaves, the bark of young trees, wild fruits and even flowers. His eyesight is extremely poor, but the porcupine is distinguished by very sensitive hearing, which allows it to protect itself from enemies, and a remarkable sense of smell that can lead to tasty food, even if it is ten kilometers away. Melons, ripened fruits and the bark of fruit and berry trees serve as delicacies for the porcupine. If the porcupine was able to get to the melon patch, garden or corn field, then the feast and fun begin. One porcupine can cause serious damage to dozens of cultivated plants.

Royal emblem

The image of a porcupine in folklore and beliefs of different peoples is often contradictory. He can be a symbol of a person who need not fear his opponents. Any predators can circle around a porcupine protected by a palisade of quills as much as they like, but they will not dare to attack, because in this case they will only make things worse for themselves. On the other hand, sometimes the porcupine is a symbol of slander and slander, shooting their poisoned arrows at us just at the moment when we are not ready for it and do not expect them.

Louis XII took the porcupine as his emblem and crowned it. In this case, the image of a porcupine with quills flying off its body is the belief that it can shoot them at its enemies. Louis' emblem was emblazoned with the motto: "Near and far" - a hint that the enemy would be defeated no matter where he was.

Pet

But this is all mythology; in fact, porcupines are quite peaceful animals. This animal can even be kept in captivity - the porcupine quickly gets used to the person who feeds it and can live in a house for up to 20 years. True, he still tries to maintain his independence and the owner should still be wary of his thorns.

In addition, porcupines know how to have fun in their own way. Gerald Durrell observed and described the amusing tendency of African porcupines to slide down a smooth rock slide in a cave: “Judging by the tracks in the sand, the porcupines climbed to the top of the slope, slid down it, climbed up again and slid down again. Apparently, many generations of porcupines had been playing this fun game in the cave, since the surface of the slope shone like glass.”

Porcupine is a mammal that belongs to the order of rodents, the porcupine family (Hystricidae).

In the classification of rodents, there is a separate family of arboreal or American porcupines (Erethizontidae), which live in North and South America. Outwardly, they are similar to animals from the porcupine family, but differ in their smaller size and shorter quills on the back of the back.

This article describes only the porcupine family.

Does a porcupine shoot quills or not?

Many people believe that the porcupine shoots quills at its enemies. In fact, this is a misconception based on the fact that porcupine quills do not adhere well to the animal’s body and are easily lost. But the porcupine cannot shoot them due to the absence of any anatomical adaptations and the shape of the quills themselves, which in any case are slightly curved and cannot be stabilized in flight. And the lightning-fast throw of an attacking porcupine, turning its back to the enemy and a sharp rebound back create the feeling that the animal has inserted a needle as if from some distance.

Poisonous porcupine quills are another common myth. The wounds from the injection are actually quite painful and take a long time to heal, which is not surprising, because the sharp quills of a porcupine can pierce even a boot. In addition, dirt usually accumulates on the quills, and the inflammation is caused not by the mythical porcupine poison, but by infection. In addition, porcupine quills are quite fragile, and debris may remain in the wound, causing suppuration.

Where does the porcupine live?

Porcupines live in Europe, North America (USA and Canada), South America, African countries, Southeast and Central Asia, India, and Transcaucasia. Representatives of the porcupine family inhabit a wide variety of biotopes: from tropical and subtropical forests to savannas, deserts and mountainous regions. Many species settle near human habitation and feed on agricultural lands.

The porcupine is a nocturnal animal; during the day it usually hides in rock crevices, caves, abandoned dens of other animals, or self-dug holes. The length of a porcupine burrow can reach 10 m, and the depth up to 4 m. The burrow usually has several “rooms”, holes, one of which is necessarily lined with fresh grass. Porcupines do not hibernate, but in winter the activity of the animals noticeably decreases, and they spend most of their time in their home.

Porcupines feed in the dead of night, moving several kilometers from their shelter in search of food. These rodents are not too afraid of people, so they often visit local cultivated lands - fields and melon fields, where they happily eat the fruits of human labor: watermelons, melons, grapes and many other crops. In places where animals regularly exercise, noticeably trodden paths remain, along which an experienced tracker can easily find the animals’ shelter.

Porcupines feed mainly in pairs: the male and female walk side by side at a distance of about 30-50 cm from each other, and the male always stays slightly behind his companion. The porcupine is predominantly a herbivore: among the species there are true vegetarians, although some individuals occasionally, but with pleasure, eat various insects, other invertebrates and their larvae. According to experts, in this way animals replenish the deficiency of mineral salts in the body.

The plant food of a porcupine is all parts of plants: rhizomes, tubers, shoots, leaves, and fruits. In the cold season, porcupines eat especially a lot of tree bark.

Classification of porcupines

Soviet sources identify 4 genera of porcupines:

• Atherurus (Brush-tailed porcupines),
• Hystrix (Porcupines),
• Thecurus (Indonesian porcupines, landakis),
• Trichys (Long-tailed porcupines).

Some Russian sources list 5 genera, including the genus Acanthion (Malayan porcupines).

Foreign sources identify only 3 genera of porcupines, excluding the genus Acanthion and Thecurus:

• Genus Brush-tailed porcupines ( Atherurus)
  • Atherurus africanus)
  • Asian brush-tailed porcupine ( Atherurus macrourus)
• Genus Porcupines ( Hystrix)
  • Malayan porcupine ( Hystrix brachyura)
  • Javan porcupine ( Hystrix javanica)
  • South African porcupine ( Hystrix africaeaustralis)
  • Crested (crested) porcupine ( Hystrix cristata)
  • Indian porcupine ( Hystrix indica)
  • Stiff-spined porcupine ( Hystrix crassispinis)
  • Philippine porcupine ( Hystrix pumila)
  • Sumatran porcupine ( Hystrix sumatrae)
• Genus Long-tailed porcupines ( Trichys)
  • Long-tailed porcupine ( Trichys fasciculata)

Types of porcupines, photos and names

Below is a description of several varieties of porcupines:

• Malayan porcupine ( Hystrix brachyura)

quite a large and thick rodent. An adult animal grows in length up to 63-72.5 cm, while the weight of a porcupine varies from 700 g to 2.4 kg. The length of the tail is 6-11 cm, the color of the needles can be black and white or yellowish. Females give birth 2 times a year; there are usually 2-3 cubs in a litter. In nature, the Malayan porcupine feeds on bark, tubers and rhizomes of plants, and fallen fruits. A small part of the diet consists of invertebrates and carrion. Representatives of the species prefer to settle in forests and in lands cultivated by humans at an altitude of about 1.3 km above sea level. Malayan porcupines live in Nepal, Northeast India, Central and Southern China, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore), including on the Malaysian peninsula, as well as on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo .

• South African porcupine ( Hystrix africaeaustralis)

Africa's largest rodent. The length of mature individuals is 63-80.5 cm with a porcupine body weight of 10 to 24.1 kg, with females being slightly heavier than males. The porcupine's tail grows to a length of 10.5-13 cm. A distinctive feature of the species is the white line running along the croup. The body of the porcupine is covered with spines up to 50 cm long, defensive needles up to 30 cm long and flat bristly hairs. The tail is decorated with a bunch of modified, hollow inside needles. Females breed once a year, bearing from 1 to 3 cubs weighing from 300 to 440 g. Representatives of the species are vegetarians who consume exclusively plant foods: leaves, shoots, plant rhizomes, bulbs, fallen fruits, and occasionally tree bark. In the wild, porcupines live about 10 years, in captivity 2 times longer. The South African porcupine lives in South Africa, including Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Kenya and many other countries. The porcupine lives in all plant landscapes, with the exception of forested areas, and rises to mountains no higher than 2 thousand meters above sea level.

• Crested porcupine, aka crested porcupine ( Hystrix cristata)

a large rodent, second in size only to the South American capybara and beaver. The name of the species comes from the hard crest adorning the animal’s head. The crested porcupine is the most common member of the family, so it is often called simply the porcupine. The length of adult individuals excluding the tail can reach 90 cm, the tail grows up to 10-15 cm. Well-fed male porcupines can weigh up to 27 kg, but on average the weight of rodents does not exceed 8-12 kg. The stocky body of the porcupine is densely studded with short and long quills, with alternating black-brown and white colors. The longest needles are relatively thin and grow up to 40 cm, the short needles are about 15-30 cm long, but reach a diameter of 4.5-5 mm. Between the long, sharp needles, which often fall out, there are hard, bristle-like hairs. In the middle of the back, the porcupine's quills are the sharpest and longest; on the sides, shoulders and sacrum the quills are short and blunt. The northern part of the population breeds in early spring, and females bring 2-3, and sometimes 5 cubs once a year. Representatives of the species living in the south mate all year round, and females bear offspring two to three times a year. Crested porcupines are predominantly herbivorous rodents; in the warm season they feed on the green mass of plants. During the ripening of the crop, cucumbers, pumpkin, melons, watermelons, grapes and alfalfa are added to the diet. In winter, tree bark is used as food; porcupines rarely eat insects. Animals live in mountainous areas and foothills, on cultivated soils, and are sometimes found on desert sandy landscapes. Representatives of the species are widespread throughout almost the entire Middle East, including Iran and Iraq and further east, all the way to Southern China. They are found throughout India, living in Sri Lanka and some countries in Southeast Asia. Crested porcupines also live here and there in the southern and western parts of the Arabian Peninsula. In addition, the species’ range covers mainland Italy and the island of Sicily.

• Indian porcupine ( Hystrix indica)

a fairly large species of porcupine with a body weight of about 15-18 kg and a length of up to 90 cm. In the Indian porcupine, like in most species, the quills are colored with black and white belts, which gives the impression of a variegated white-black-brown color. The belly and head are colored black-brown. The diet of rodents consists of various plant foods, with particular preference given to succulent bulbs and rhizomes of plants. Females breed 1-2 times a year, and the brood consists of 1-4 cubs. Indian porcupines are not picky in terms of habitat and are found in forests, savannas, deserts and mountainous landscapes at altitudes of up to 3.9 km above sea level. Despite the specific name, the species' range covers not only India, but also almost the entire southern territory of Asia - from the eastern part of Transcaucasia to Kazakhstan, Central and Southeast Asia.

• Javan porcupine ( Hystrix javanica)

an endemic species, whose representatives live only in Indonesia on the islands of Java, Bali, Sumbawa, Flores, Lombok, Madura. Rodents were probably brought to the island of Sulawesi from the island of Flores.

• Stiff-spined porcupine ( Hystrix crassispinis)

endemic to the island of Borneo, armed with especially strong and tough needles. These rodents are very similar in appearance to a closely related species, the Sumatran porcupine, living on the island of Sumatra, but they are larger in size and have thicker quills. The rough-spined porcupine lives in forests, mountainous landscapes up to 1.2 km above sea level, on cultivated lands and even in cities. The porcupine feeds on plants and also eats fallen fruits.

• Sumatran porcupine ( Hystrix sumatrae)

lives only on the island of Sumatra. Initially, it was part of the species of rigid-spined porcupines, but was later separated into an independent species due to its smaller body size and thinner quills. Adults grow to 45-56 cm in length and weigh from 3.8 to 5.4 kg, the tail length ranges from 2.5 to 19 cm. Sharp flat spines, ordinary hollow spines and numerous stiff bristles grow on the body of rodents. The length of the porcupine's bristles and quills does not exceed 16 cm. The general color of the animal is brown, but approximately ½ of the quills and bristles have white ends. The underside of the neck of rodents may be covered with white spots. The Sumatran porcupine feeds on various types of plants, prefers to settle in forests and rocky landscapes, and sometimes climbs mountains no higher than 300 m above sea level.

• Long-tailed porcupine ( Trichys fasciculata)

has significant differences from most members of the family. Its quills are too soft and flexible, so the animal is unable to bristle and defend itself, as well as make cracking sounds. The long-tailed porcupine is very similar to a large rat, its quills are of medium length, and most of them are concentrated in the back of the body. The back of the animal is brown, the belly is whitish. The body length of adult individuals reaches 35-48 cm, and the weight of the porcupine ranges from 1.5 to 2.25 kg. These porcupines have a long, scaly, brown tail that grows from 17.5 to 23 cm in length and is easily torn off, so many adults, especially females, are often tailless. Long-tailed porcupines climb bushes and trees well. The diet of rodents consists mainly of plant foods; animals give particular preference to various fruits and seeds, young bamboo shoots, they also love pineapples, and invertebrates are consumed extremely rarely. Long-tailed porcupines live on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, settling in forests and farmland.

• African brush-tailed porcupine ( Atherurus africanus)

a fairly common species of large rodents belonging to the genus of brush-tailed porcupines (Atherurus). The size of adult porcupines varies from 40 to 60 cm, and the length of their tail is not inferior to long-tailed porcupines and is about 15-25 cm. The skin of animals is covered with thin spines, among which there are long and thick quills. These porcupines received their specific name due to a special brush at the tip of the tail, which consists of thick hairs and is a kind of whitish or light brown brush. In the middle, the tail is bare, scaly, and studded with needles at the base. The African brush-tailed porcupine lives in forests near rivers and lakes, can swim well and feeds on various vegetation, roots, tubers, and insects. The species' range extends across Central Africa south of Senegal, passes through the countries of the Gulf of Guinea (Nigeria, Ghana, Gabon) to the mouth of the Congo River, and also covers the Fernando Po Islands.

Porcupine Reproduction

Rare porcupines lead a solitary lifestyle, most of them form monogamous pairs and live in their shelters in small family groups consisting of adult males, females and their offspring. Stable monogamous couples occupy a certain area of ​​terrain, averaging about two square kilometers, within which several reliable shelters are necessarily located. Despite the fact that porcupines do not guard their territory, the territories of neighboring families usually do not overlap.

The porcupine rut is not confined to a specific time and depends on the area: southern species are able to reproduce all year round and bring up to 3 litters, mating of representatives of the northern part of the population usually occurs in March, and females give birth 1 or 2 times a year.

Pregnancy of a female porcupine, depending on the species, lasts from 6 to 16 weeks; birth occurs in a burrow nest lined with soft grass. From 1 to 5 cubs are born, fully formed, with open eyes, developed teeth and soft needles. The spines of a small porcupine harden very quickly and after a week they can prick quite noticeably. Both parents take care of the offspring, and the mother feeds the cubs with milk from 2 weeks to 3 months, after which the young porcupines completely switch to plant foods.

Various forms of communication between members of a pair help maintain and strengthen strong monogamous bonds among porcupines: mutual sniffing, joint feeding, and frequent acts of mating.

According to researchers who have been observing the life of Indian porcupines for a long time, a monogamous pair mates at any time, even if the female is pregnant or nursing offspring.

• J. Durrell described the curious tendency of African porcupines to slide down a smooth rock slide in a cave: “Judging by the tracks in the sand, the porcupines climbed to the top of the slope, slid down it, climbed up again and slid down again. Apparently, many generations of porcupines had been playing this fun game in the cave, since the surface of the slope shone like glass.”
• Porcupines are sedentary animals, the existence of which consists of 2 basic needs - nutrition and reproduction, therefore rodents feel great in captivity, quickly adapt, reproduce well and, with decent care, live up to 20 years.
• Fried porcupine skin is one of the dishes that is prepared in African countries.