Cape Porcupine

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*This page is under renovation and all information may not be up-to-date or complete*

Description

Cape porcupines are known as one of the largest species of porcupine in the world and one of the largest species of rodent. They have dozens of long black and white, hollow quills protruding from their body that are made of keratin (the same material found in human hair and fingernails).

Range & Habitat

They can be found in Mediterranean forests, scrubland, rocky areas, and crop lands in Northern African as well as Sub-Saharan Africa.

Behavior

To scare off predators, porcupines will stomp their feet, make a clicking noise with their teeth, and produce a loud hissing noise, which comes from their quills when rattled.

While, they are generally a very social animal, cape porcupines will only mate with one porcupine for life. These porcupines are also nocturnal and will build burrows to sleep and give birth in, which will occasionally result in the burrows turning into tunnel systems.

Diet

These rodents are omnivores and their diet consists mainly of bulbs, roots, and bark. They also eat crops, and occasionally will eat insects, small vertebrates, and some carrion.

Conservation

There are no major threats to this species. Porcupines have benefited from agricultural development and their destructive feeding habitats have led to them being considered as a problem in some farming areas.

Fun Facts

• Cape porcupines are the largest rodent in Africa.
• Porcupines cannot shoot their quills at predators. Instead, they turn their body around, spread their quills and charge backward toward predators. The quills easily embed into skin, and fall out once the predator has been stuck.
• The name porcupine comes from the French word ‘porc espin’, meaning spined pig.

Virginia Zoo Animals

Male: Enzi