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Hystrix primigenia is an extinct species of Old World porcupine that lived during the Late Miocene and Pliocene. Fossils of this species were recovered mainly from southern Europe, from Spain to Turkey and North Africa as well. The earliest fossils were found in Greece and the Balkan peninsula. [2]
It was approximately 20% larger than its closest relative, the living Indian porcupine (H. indica), reaching lengths of over 115 cm (45 in). It also differs from the Indian porcupine in having a high and narrow occipital region, in the anteriorly convergent arrangement of maxillary cheek-teeth series, and in its mandible and the cheek-teeth ...
Extant: 45.4 kg (100 lb) 6: Eurasian beaver: Castor fiber: Extant: 40 kg (88 lb) 7: Cape porcupine: Hystrix africaeaustralis : Extant: 30 kg (66 lb) 8: Crested porcupine: Hystrix cristata : Extant: 27 kg (60 lb) 9: North American porcupine: Erethizon dorsatum: Extant: 18 kg (40 lb) 10: Indian crested porcupine: Hystrix indica: Extant: 18 kg (40 ...
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 Cenozoic Titanochelon were also larger than extant giant tortoises, with a shell length of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in). [292] [293] Other giant tortoises include Centrochelys marocana at 1.8–2 m (5.9–6.6 ft) in carapace length and Mesoamerican Hesperotestudo sp. at 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in carapace length. [291]
Erethizon is a genus of New World porcupine and the only one of its family to be found north of southern Mexico.The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is the only extant species, but at least 4 extinct relatives are known, the oldest dating to the Late Pliocene. [2]
A porcupine's colouring aids in part of its defence as most of the predators are nocturnal and colour-blind. A porcupine's markings are black and white. The dark body and coarse hair of the porcupine are dark brown/black and when quills are raised, present a white strip down its back mimicking the look of a skunk.
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).