Porcupines are large
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), 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 roden ...
s with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against
predation
Predation is a biological interaction
In ecology, a biological interaction is the effect that a pair of organisms living together in a community have on each other. They can be either of the same species (intraspecific interactions), or o ...
. The term covers two
families of animals: the
Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the
New World porcupines of family, Erethizontidae. Both families belong to the infraorder
Hystricognathi within the profoundly diverse
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
Rodentia and display superficially similar coats of rigid or semi-rigid quills, which are modified hairs composed of keratin. Despite this, the two groups are distinct from one another and are not closely related to each other within the Hystricognathi. The largest species of porcupine is the third-largest living
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), 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 roden ...
in the world, after the
capybara and
beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...
.
The Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) live in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
(western and southern), and most of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. They are large, terrestrial, and strictly nocturnal.
The New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) are indigenous to
North America and northern
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...
. They live in wooded areas and can climb trees, where some species spend their entire lives. They are less strictly nocturnal than their Old World counterparts and generally smaller.
Most porcupines are about long, with a long tail. Weighing , they are rounded, large, and slow, and use an
aposematic strategy of defence. Porcupines' colouration consists of various shades of brown, grey and white. Porcupines' spiny protection resembles that of the only distantly related
erinaceomorph hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduct ...
s and Australian
monotreme echidna
Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae . The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and t ...
s as well as
tenrecid
tenrecs.
Etymology
The word "porcupine" comes from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
''porcus'' pig + ''spina'' spine, quill, via Old Italian (Italian "porcospino", thorn-pig)—
Middle French
Middle French (french: moyen français) is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from the 14th to the 16th century. It is a period of transition during which:
* the French language became clearly distinguished from t ...
—
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...
. A regional American name for the animal is "quill-pig".
A baby porcupine is a porcupette. When born, a porcupette's quills are soft hair; they harden within a few days, forming the sharp quills of adults.
Evolution
Fossils belonging to the genus ''Hystrix'' date back to the late
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...
of the continent of Africa.
Species
Taxonomy
A porcupine is any of 58 species of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), 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 roden ...
s belonging to the families
Erethizontidae (genera: ''
Coendou'', ''
Erethizon'', and ''
Chaetomys'') or
Hystricidae (genera: ''
Atherurus'', ''
Hystrix'', and ''
Trichys
The long-tailed porcupine (''Trichys fasciculata'') is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Trichys'', and is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Physical appearance
Long-tailed porcupines’ ...
''). Porcupines vary in size considerably:
Rothschild's porcupine of South America weighs less than a kilogram (2.2 lb); the
crested porcupine found in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...
, and
sub-Saharan Africa can grow to well over . The two families of porcupines are quite different, and although both belong to the
Hystricognathi branch of the vast order
Rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), 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 roden ...
ia, they are not closely related.
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
Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...
) and are more closely related to several other families of rodents than they are to the Old World porcupines.
Longevity
Porcupines have a relatively high
longevity
The word " longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography. However, the term ''longevity'' is sometimes meant to refer only to especially long-lived members of a population, whereas ''life expectancy'' is always d ...
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 a herbivore and often climbs trees for food; it eats leaves, herbs, twigs, and green plants such as
clover
Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus h ...
. In the winter, it may eat bark.
The African porcupine is not a climber; instead, it forages on the ground.
It is mostly
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have ...
but will sometimes forage for food in the day, eating bark, roots, fruits, berries, and farm crops. Porcupines have become a pest in
Kenya
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, image_map =
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, ...
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. There are four main displays seen in a porcupine: (in order from least to most aggressive) quill erection, teeth clattering, odor emission, and attack.
A porcupine's colouring aids in part of its defence as most of the predators are
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have ...
and colour blind. A porcupine's markings are black and white. The dark body and coarse hair of the porcupine are a 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 rattling of quills is aided by the hollow quills at the back end of the porcupine.
The use of odor 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 quill erection.
If these processes fail, the porcupine will attack 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
Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, ...
,
and embedded in the
skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...
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.
[ Despite what is commonly believed, porcupines do not have the ability to launch their quills at range.
There are some possible ]antibiotic
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy, ...
properties within the quills, specifically associated with the free fatty acids coating the quills. The antibiotic properties are believed to aid a porcupine that has suffered from self-injury.
Uses by humans
Porcupines are seldom eaten in Western culture
image:Da Vinci Vitruve Luc Viatour.jpg, Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions, human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise '' ...
but are eaten often in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
, particularly Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
, where the prominent use of them as a food source has contributed to declines in porcupine populations.
Naturalist William J. Long reported the taste of the North American porcupine as "vile" and "malodorous" and delightful only to a lover of strong cheese. With regards to a Maine state law that restricted the killing of porcupines to keep them available as emergency game for people lost in the woods, he noted: "It is undoubtedly a good law; but I cannot now imagine any one being grateful for it, unless the stern alternative were death or porcupine."
More commonly, their quills and guard hairs are used for traditional decorative clothing; for example, their guard hairs are used in the creation of the Native American "porky roach" headdress. The main quills may be dyed, then applied in combination with thread to embellish leather accessories, such as knife sheaths and leather bags. Lakota women would harvest the quills for quillwork by throwing a blanket over a porcupine and retrieving the quills left stuck in the blanket.
The presence of barbs, acting like anchors, causes increased pain when removing a quill that has pierced the skin.[ The shape of the barbs makes the quills effective for penetrating the skin and for remaining in place.] The quills have inspired research for such applications as the design of hypodermic needles and surgical staples. In contrast to the current design for surgical staples, the porcupine quill and barb design would allow easy and painless insertion, as the staple would stay in the skin using the anchored barb design rather than being bent under the skin like traditional staples.
The porcupine is often used as a symbol of American libertarianism due to its natural embodiment of defensiveness and the non-aggression principle
The non-aggression principle (NAP), also called the non-aggression axiom, is a concept in which aggression, defined as initiating or threatening any forceful interference (violating or breaching conduct) against either an individual, their propert ...
.
Habitat
Porcupines occupy a small range of habitats in tropical and temperate parts of Asia, Southern Europe, Africa, and North and South America. They live in forests and deserts, rocky outcrops, and hillsides. Some New World porcupines live in trees, but Old World porcupines prefer a rocky environment. Porcupines can be found on rocky areas up to high. They are generally nocturnal but are occasionally active during daylight.
Classification
Porcupines are distributed into two evolutionarily independent groups within the suborder Hystricomorpha of the Rodentia.
* Infraorder Hystricognathi
** Family Hystricidae: Old World porcupines
*** African brush-tailed porcupine, ''Atherurus africanus''
*** Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine, ''Atherurus macrourus''
*** Crested porcupine, ''Hystrix cristata''
*** Cape porcupine, ''Hystrix africaeaustralis''
*** Indian porcupine, ''Hystrix indicus''
*** Malayan porcupine
The Malayan porcupine or Himalayan porcupine (''Hystrix brachyura'') is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. Three subspecies are extant in South and Southeast Asia.
Geographical distribution
The Malayan porcupine ranges from Nepal th ...
, ''Hystrix brachyura''
**** Himalayan porcupine, ''Hystrix (brachyura) hodgsoni''
*** Sunda porcupine, ''Hystrix javanica''
*** Sumatran porcupine
The Sumatran porcupine (''Hystrix sumatrae'') is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. It is endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is ...
, ''Hystrix (Thecurus) sumatrae''
*** Thick-spined porcupine, ''Hystrix (Thecurus) crassispinis''
*** Philippine porcupine, ''Hystrix (Thecurus) pumilis''
*** Long-tailed porcupine, ''Trichys fasciculata''
** Parvorder Phiomorpha ''sensu stricto''
*** Family Thryonomyidae: cane rats
*** Family Petromuridae: Dassie rats
*** Family Bathyergidae: African mole-rats
** Parvorder Caviomorpha
*** Superfamily Erethizontoidea
**** Family Erethizontidae: New World porcupines
***** Brazilian porcupine, ''Coendou prehensilis''
***** Bicolored-spined porcupine
The bicolored-spined porcupine (''Coendou bicolor'') is a species of nocturnal and arboreal rodent in the family Erethizontidae.
It is found in Bolivia, Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in Sou ...
, ''Coendou bicolor''
***** Andean porcupine, ''Coendou quichua''
***** Black dwarf (Koopman's) porcupine, ''Coendou nycthemera (koopmani)''
***** Rothschild's porcupine, ''Coendou rothschildi''
***** Santa Marta porcupine, ''Coendou sanctemartae''
***** Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine, ''Coendou mexicanus''
***** Paraguaian hairy dwarf porcupine, ''Coendou spinosus''
***** Bahia porcupine, ''Coendou insidiosus''
***** Brown hairy dwarf porcupine, ''Coendou vestitus''
***** Streaked dwarf porcupine, ''Coendou ichillus''
***** Black-tailed hairy dwarf porcupine, ''Coendou melanurus''
***** Roosmalen's dwarf porcupine, ''Coendou roosmalenorum''
***** Frosted hairy dwarf porcupine, ''Coendou pruinosus''
***** Stump-tailed porcupine, ''Coendou rufescens''
***** North American porcupine, ''Erethizon dorsatum''
***** Bristle-spined porcupine, ''Chaetomys subspinosus'' (sometimes considered an echimyid)
*** Superfamily Cavioidea
**** Family Hydrochaeridae: capybara
**** Family Caviidae: Guinea-pigs
**** Family Dasyproctidae: agoutis and acouchis
*** Superfamily Octodontoidea
**** Family Abrocomidae: chinchilla-rats
**** Family Octodontidae: degus
**** Family Ctenomyidae: tuco-tucos
**** Family Echimyidae
Echimyidae is the family of neotropical spiny rats and their fossil relatives. This is the most species-rich family of hystricognath rodents. It is probably also the most ecologically diverse, with members ranging from fully arboreal to ter ...
: spiny rats
**** Family Myocastoridae: nutrias
**** Family Capromyidae: hutias
*** Superfamily Chinchilloidea
**** Family Chinchillidae: chinchillas and allies
**** Family Dinomyidae: pacaranas
See also
* Pangolins, another mammal group with protective keratin body coverings
* Armadillo
Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, al ...
s, another mammal group with protective keratin body coverings
References
External links
Wildlife Conservation: Porcupine
African Wildlife Foundation
"Resource Cards: What About Porcupines?"
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
''Porcupine control in the western states''
University of North Texas Digital Library
The Complete Resource To Keeping Porcupines As Pets
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porcupine
Body plans
Hystricognath rodents
Rodents by common name