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.