The porcupine is the third largest rodent on the planet, and it is also called the porcupine or the porcupine, and it is divided into two types, which are the old world porcupine and the new world
porcupine, and it is known that these large rodents may fight the most dangerous and largest predators, and despite its fierce external appearance, it is A gentle and docile creature unless provoked.
Porcupine characteristics
Porcupines differ in size and this depends on the species, but in general it measures from (60-90) cm, about (25-36) inches in length, except for the tail, which is (20-25) cm in length, about (8-10) inches, and the porcupine animal weighs
between (5-16) kilograms (12-35) pounds, and the smallest porcupine is the Rothschilds porcupine from South America, which weighs only 1 kilogram (2.2) pounds, and the largest animal is the African porcupine that can That weighs more than 20 kg (44 lbs).
The porcupine has a round body covered with many spines or feathers, which can be gray, brown or white in color, and the spines are mutated
hairs covered with thick plates of keratin that the porcupine uses to defend itself from predators, and the spines usually lie on The body, and when the porcupine feels threatened,
the thorns stand high as a deterrent to predators, and the porcupine animal has small eyes and ears, short and strong legs, and there are 5 toes on each foot that end in strong claws.
The front part of the porcupine's body is most vulnerable as it is covered with hair rather than feathers, and the base color of the hair can vary, including yellow, brown, grayish-brown, dark brown, or black, and the patterns that cover
the base coat can also vary in Color, including black, orange, yellow and white, there are also albino porcupines in some parts of the world, and many species have hairless soles that make them excellent climbers.
The porcupine that belongs to the Old World (Histrisidae) is the largest species of porcupine and its spines are combined in groups, and the porcupine that belongs to the New World (Erythyzontidae) is the smallest species of porcupine and has single spines.
the length of the spines is about 75 millimeters and its width is about 2 millimeters, and its stomach is full The porcupine is full of symbiotic
microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and protozoa) that help decompose the plants that the porcupine eats and make them usable, and the stomach area is the only area that is not covered with thorns.
Porcupine evolution
Porcupine is one of the large terrestrial rodents known for its sharp quills or spines, and it belongs to the family of rodents aneurysms of the ancient world.
and its native habitat is North America, South America, and parts of Africa and Asia, and the oldest known types of porcupines date back to the Eocene era, spines as a defense mechanism against predators.
The porcupine is a herbivore and has a varied diet. It mostly eats tree bark, fruits, vegetables, and sometimes small animals.
It is also known to gnaw bones for its minerals. The porcupine has a slow reproduction rate, and usually has only one offspring per year with one to three young. It is known Also longevity, some species can live up to 20 years in the wild.
Porcupine and diet
Porcupines around the world are herbivores, and they eat approximately 0.9 pounds of food every day. During the winter, they depend on tree bark as a
primary source, and due to harsh conditions they often lose nearly 17% of their weight in the winter due to a lack of nitrogen in the air.
In the spring, the porcupine prefers leaf blades rich in protein, and if trees begin to develop toxic tannins, it chooses more herbaceous plants and trees with fewer tannins.
Summer brings about more dietary changes, including foliage rich in potassium, and this can lead to the excretion of a lot of sodium, forcing the porcupine to search for salt.
In nature, it may find salt in a variety of sources such as aquatic plants, and an animal Porcupines will gnaw the bones of animals that provide them with.
In some cases, they will eat some nuts and fruits. Although It has its feeding habits in nature, but it causes much less damage than insects, diseases, wind and fire.
Home and habitat of the porcupine
You will find porcupines in the Americas enjoying exploring trees and water. However, in other parts of the world, porcupines usually stay on land.
Solid for the most part, you'll find it living in almost any type of terrain, including deserts, jungles, grasslands, mountains, and rainforests.
Some species of porcupine live in rocky areas of up to 3,500 meters (11,000 feet) in altitude, and can easily adapt to their environments.
Many types of porcupines prefer to spend their free time inside rocky cracks, caves, tangles of roots, tree branches or burrows, hollow trees, and small caves.
Its home, wherever it is, is called a den, and it does not hibernate. However, it is a nocturnal animal, so it sleeps during the day and explores at night.
Threats facing the porcupine
The small stature of the porcupine, and especially the small porcupine, makes it vulnerable to a number of predators, including great horned owls, black bears, bobcats, martens, long-tailed weasels, mice, coyotes, and mink.
Even preventing the growth of the porcupine population, and if a predator approaches, the porcupine will turn its back on the predator while keeping the feathers facing the threat at all times.
However, if the predator manages to put the porcupine on its back, it will often lose the battle. In some cases, the porcupine has fought off When a
predator approaches a feather embedded in its claw or body, it often retreats because the quills are very painful and difficult for animals to remove.
The greatest threat to the porcupine population in the world is human deforestation, wildfires, and infrastructure development. porcupines move very slowly when crossing the street.
?Is the porcupine endangered
All but one porcupine species are of lesser concern at this time, and as a result, population studies are not overly accessible making it difficult to determine global population size of porcupines, and the only known threats to population growth at this time are predator hunting and human development.