Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine

Basic Information:

Scientific Name: Coendou prehensilis

Habitat: Prehensile-tailed porcupines live in the South American forests of Venezuela, Guiana, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Trinidad, and northern Argentina. 

Diet: Prehensile-tailed porcupines are herbivores and eat a diet of leaves, flowers, shoots, and roots. 

Size: 1 to 2 feet long

Weight: 4 to 11 pounds

Lifespan: 12 to 17 years

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 Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine

Nounours (Female) – Born October 8, 2020

Did You Know?!

  • When threatened, Prehensile-Tailed Porcupines will attack by either biting its adversary or shaking its quills at it. 
  • When excited, prehensile-tailed porcupines tend to stamp their feet. 
  • Prehensile-tailed porcupines are capable of curling up to protect their soft underbellies. 
  • Prehensile-tailed porcupines are very vocal and can make a variety of sounds: moans, whines, grunts, coughs, shrieks, barks, and wails!
  • When courting each other, prehensile-tailed porcupines will often rub noses and “dance” with each other. 
  • A male porcupine is called a “boar” and a female is called a “sow.”
  • Prehensile-tailed porcupines are adept climbers and have the ability to climb immediately after birth if needed. The prehensile-tail that they have allows them to grip tightly to tree branches and climb even more effectively. 

Friday, August 18, Sunset Sips with Vinyl Logic has been rescheduled for Friday, August 25!

We apologize for the inconvenience.

For more information, visit uticazoo.org/sunsetsips