The Andean porcupine (''Coendou quichua'') or Quichua porcupine is a species of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
in the family
Erethizontidae.
It is found in the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
of northern
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
and
Colombia as well as in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
.
This porcupine is little known, but is probably
arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...
,
nocturnal and solitary like its relatives.
The species is thought to be uncommon to rare and the population decreasing. It is threatened by
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...
,
habitat fragmentation and agriculture.
Taxonomy
Although it is morphologically distinctive, it has sometimes been described as a
subspecies of the
bicolored-spined porcupine (''C. bicolor'').
However, genetic studies have shown it to be closest to the
stump-tailed porcupine
The stump-tailed porcupine (''Coendou rufescens'') is a species of rodent in the family Erethizontidae. It is found mainly in Colombia, with a few records from Ecuador.
This species was formerly sometimes assigned to ''Echinoprocta'', a genus n ...
(''C. rufescens'').
Rothschild's porcupine (''C. rothschildi'') of Panama was formerly considered a distinct species, but phylogenetic evidence indicates that both are synonymous.
Description
The Andean porcupine is a medium-sized porcupine with a head-and-body length of between and a tail length of between . A fully grown adult weighs in the region of . The nose is pink and large, and the eyes are small. The body is spiny all over, the evenly spaced spines being dark with yellowish tips in the animal's mid section. The tail tapers from a broad base and is prehensile.
This porcupine could be confused with the
Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine
The Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine or Mexican tree porcupine (''Coendou mexicanus'') is a species of rodent in the family Erethizontidae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Mexico, Nicaragua and Belize.Biodiversit ...
(''Sphiggurus mexicanus''), but that species has long black hair which largely conceals the spines while the Andean is more obviously spiny.
Ecology
The ecology of this species is little known. Its behaviour is likely to resemble that of its close relatives in being nocturnal and arboreal, and feeding on fruit and leaves.
Status
The Andean porcupine is listed by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...
as "
data deficient". This is because of its uncertain taxonomic status as well as the lack of recent information on its abundance, the threats it faces and its needs. It is generally an uncommon or rare species and it is suspected that its population is decreasing, due to
degradation
Degradation may refer to:
Science
* Degradation (geology), lowering of a fluvial surface by erosion
* Degradation (telecommunications), of an electronic signal
* Biodegradation of organic substances by living organisms
* Environmental degradatio ...
and fragmentation of its habitat as the
forest is felled for
conversion to agricultural use.
References
Coendou
Mammals of the Andes
Mammals of Colombia
Mammals of Ecuador
Rodents of Central America
Vertebrates of Panama
Mammals described in 1899
Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas
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