What is a porcupine?
The porcupine (in English: PORCUPINES) is an animal belonging to the rodent family of mammals, and its scientific name is (Hystricidae), or (Erethizontidae). It is covered on the outside by a group of sharp thorns that protect it from predation or easy hunting.[XNUMX]
The porcupine uses it when it feels threatened and exposed to it, which leads to it sticking and entering the body of the other animal due to the difficulty of removing it, and new thorns grow in its place. It is worth noting that there are more than twenty species of this animal, and its average lifespan is 5-7 years.[XNUMX]
General types of porcupines
There are general categories to which the porcupine belongs, and they are as follows:[XNUMX]
New World porcupine
(in English: New World porcupines) belonging to the (ERETHIZONTIDAE) family, which consists of 14 species divided into five genera; They are: the hairy pygmy porcupine Sphiggurus, Coendu, Chaetomys, Echinoprocta, and the North American porcupine Erethizon.[XNUMX]
Old world porcupine
(in English: Old World porcupines) belonging to the (HYSTRICIDAE) family, which consists of 11 species divided into three genera; They are: the short-tailed porcupine Hystrix, the brush-tailed porcupine Atherurus, and the long-tailed porcupine Trichys.[XNUMX]
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General information about porcupines
There is some information about the porcupine, including body characteristics, nature of food, etc., and the most important are as follows:[XNUMX]
Size and length
The weight of a porcupine usually ranges between 1.2-35 kg depending on its type, and the length of its tail may range from 20-30 cm. The North African crested porcupine is the largest, reaching 90 cm in length. The smallest is the Brazilian hairy dwarf (Bahia). hairy dwarf porcupine) which is 38 cm long.
As for the thorns on the porcupine’s skin, they may reach a length of 30 cm, as in the African crested porcupine.
food
Some types of porcupines eat wood or tree bark, in addition to fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, and leaves. They eat most types of plants because they are considered herbaceous. They also eat insects and small lizards from time to time.
childbearing
The female porcupine gives birth to one or three young each time she gives birth, and the gestation period of female porcupines, depending on their species, ranges from approximately 16-31 weeks.
Place of living
Porcupines live in various regions; Such as: mountains, deserts, pastures, rainforests and temperate forests, and may be found in rock crevices, or tree branches and twigs.
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habits
The porcupine tends to be introverted and isolated. It is a non-social creature. It is considered a nocturnal animal and moves at night to obtain food. The New World porcupine spends the night in trees.
Threatened and endangered species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not place the porcupine on the list of endangered or endangered animals, except for the Philippine and bristle-spined porcupine species.
What is the difference between a porcupine and a hedgehog?
People often have difficulty telling the difference between a porcupine and a hedgehog because they both have sharp, needle-like spines covering their skin. On the other hand, the porcupine and the hedgehog differ in many characteristics, the most important of which are: [XNUMX]
Geographical location
Both the porcupine and the hedgehog live in different locations and diverse environments around the world. Both are native to Africa, Europe, and Asia. Some species of porcupine are native to the New World, ranging from Canada and the United States to South America. Hedgehogs have also been introduced to specific areas of New Zealand.
Length of spines
The spines on each type of animal have different features. The hedgehog has shorter spines, about 2.5 centimeters long. In contrast, the spines that cover the porcupine's skin are 5 to 7.5 centimeters long, while the African species can grow quills over 30 centimeters long.
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Size
Hedgehogs can grow between 10 and 30 centimeters in length. The porcupine can grow to three times that size, between 50 and 90 centimetres. Each animal has a tail that also varies in size. The hedgehog's tail is up to 5 centimeters long, while the porcupine's tail is between 20 and 25 centimeters long.
food
The porcupine is a herbivorous animal. Depending on the food available to them, they feed on fruits, leaves, grasses, buds, tree bark and stems. Hedgehogs are classified as carnivores and serve as useful pets in the home garden. They feed on pests such as slugs that destroy gardens. Other foods for them include insects, invertebrates, mice, snails, frogs, and small snakes.
