African Crested Porcupine
Basic Information:
Scientific Name: Hystrix africaeaustralis
Habitat: The African crested porcupine is found across North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa as well as Italy.
Diet: African crested porcupines are herbivores and eat roots, bulbs, and leaves, but are also known to eat insects, small vertebrates, and carrion.
Size: 2 to 3 feet long
Weight: 22 to 66 pounds
Lifespan: 14.5 years according to AZA Species Survival Statistics
Distribution Map:
I.U.C.N. Conservation Status:
What does this mean?
Least Concern – a species determined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) to be pervasive, abundant, and thriving.
Our African Crested Porcupines:
Joey (Female) – Born March 16, 2012
Buttercup (Female) – Born April 2, 2018
Did You Know?!
- When it is confronted by a predator, the African crested porcupine raises its 12-13 inch quills to appear larger. If this strategy doesn’t chase off the predator, the porcupine stamps its feet and rattles its hollow-tipped tail quills. The last resort is to run backwards and ram the attacker with the short, thick quills on its backside.
- Crested porcupines are nocturnal and forage alone at night. They can travel up to 9 miles in their search for food.
- Crested porcupines are monogamous and live in small family groups, called prickles, that are comprised of an adult pair or an adult pair with offspring.
- Like other rodents, crested porcupines have a single pair of sharp, continually growing incisor teeth that they use to gnaw and rip tough plant material. They must continually chew hard objects to file their teeth down.
- Crested porcupines are the largest rodent in Africa and the largest of the porcupines.