Hystrix Temporal range: Early Miocene - Recent | |
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Hystrix indica (Henry Vilas Zoo, Madison, Wisconsin) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Hystricidae |
Genus: | Hystrix Linnaeus, 1758 |
Type species | |
Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Species | |
Hystrix africaeaustralis Contents | |
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Distribution of Old World porcupines |
Hystrix is a genus of porcupines containing most of the Old World porcupines. Fossils belonging to the genus date back to the late Miocene of Africa. [1]
Hystrix (from Ancient Greek ὕστριξ (hústrix, “porcupine”) was given name by the 18th-century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus.