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The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), also known as the Canadian porcupine, is a large quill-covered rodent in the New World porcupine family. It is the second largest rodent in North America after the North American beaver (Castor canadensis). The porcupine is a caviomorph rodent whose ancestors crossed the Atlantic from Africa to ...
Porcupine. Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of the family Erethizontidae. [1][2] Both families belong to the infraorder Hystricognathi within the ...
The coyote (/ ˈ k aɪ. oʊ t / or / k aɪ ˈ oʊ t iː /) [12] (Canis latrans), also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, [13] is a species of canid found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada.
New World porcupines are stout animals, with blunt, rounded heads, fleshy, mobile snouts, and coats of thick, cylindrical or flattened spines. The "quills" are mixed with long, soft hairs. They vary in size from the relatively small prehensile-tailed porcupines, which are around 30 cm (12 in) long, and weigh about 900 g (32 oz), to the much ...
They vary in size from the relatively small long–tailed porcupine with body lengths of 27.9 to 48 cm (11.0 to 18.9 in), and a weight of 1.5 to 2.3 kg (3.3 to 5.1 lb), [2] to the much larger crested porcupines, which are 60 to 83 cm (24 to 33 in) long, discounting the tail, and weigh from 13 to 27 kg (29 to 60 lb).
The crested porcupine is found in Italy, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. In the Mediterranean, it is known from mainland Italy and the island of Sicily, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia; they are also recorded in Ghana, Libya and along the Egyptian coast. It has been recorded from sea level to 2,550 m (8,370 ft) in Moroccan Anti-Atlas.
They may also dig out and live in burrows, from which a network of trails penetrate into surrounding habitat. They can be found in all forest types up to 1500 m altitude. [6] Female porcupines have a gestation period of 110 days and a litter size of two or three. The species may give birth to two litters annually. [1]
The Indian crested porcupine is a large rodent, weighing 11–18 kg (24–40 lb). [2] The body (from nose to base of the tail) measures between 70 and 90 cm (28 and 35 in) with the tail adding an additional 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in). [3] The lifespan of Indian crested porcupines in the wild is unknown, however, the oldest known Indian crested ...