| Indian crested porcupine | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Hystricidae |
| Genus: | Hystrix |
| Species: | H. indica |
| Binomial name | |
| Hystrix indica Kerr, 1792 | |
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The Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) is a hystricomorph rodent species native to southern Asia and the Middle East. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It belongs to the Old World porcupine family, Hystricidae. [1]
The Indian crested porcupine is a large rodent, weighing 11–18 kg (24–40 lb). [2] Their body (from the nose to the 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 an Indian crested porcupines in the wild is unknown, however, the oldest known Indian crested porcupine in captivity was female; and lived up to be 27.1 years old. [2]
It is covered in multiple layers of modified hair called quills, with longer, thinner quills covering a layer of shorter, thicker ones. [2] The quills are brown or black with alternating white and black bands. [4] They are made of keratin and are relatively flexible. [4] Each quill is connected to a muscle at its base, allowing the porcupine to raise its quills when it feels threatened. [4] The longest quills are located on the neck and shoulder, where the quills form a "skirt" around the animal. [4] These quills can grow up to 51 cm (20 in) long, [4] with most measuring between 15 and 30 cm (5.9 and 11.8 in). [5] Smaller (20 cm) and more rigid quills are packed densely on the back and rump. [4] These smaller quills are used to stab at potential threats. [4] The base of the tail contains shorter quills that appear white in color, with longer, hollow quills that the porcupine can rattle to produce a warning sound when threatened. [6] Contrary to popular belief, Indian crested porcupines (like all porcupines) cannot shoot their quills. [4]
The Indian crested porcupine has a stocky build with a low surface area to volume ratio, which aids in heat conservation. [7] It has broad feet with long claws used for burrowing. [2] Like all porcupines, the Indian crested porcupine has a good sense of smell and sharp, chisel-like incisors. [4]
Indian crested porcupines are found throughout southwest and central Asia, [2] including Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Yemen. [1] Due to their flexible environmental tolerances, Indian crested porcupines occupy a broad range of habitats. [1] They prefer rocky hillsides, [2] but are also common in tropical and temperate shrublands, grasslands, forests, plantations, and gardens. [1] Their range seems to be limited by seasonal densities of forage and the availability of suitable substrates for digging burrows. [8] More specifically, the northern range of the Indian crested porcupine is limited by minimum summer night duration: they do not occur above latitudes where minimum night duration is less than 7 hours, presumably because of the amount of foraging time required to meet their dietary needs. [9]
In 2018, a porcupine was spotted at Wadi Wurayah in the United Arab Emirates. [10] [11] In 2019, it was spotted in the Russian republic of Dagestan. [12]
Indian crested porcupines have a very broad and mostly herbivorous diet. [2] They consume a variety of natural and agricultural plant material, including roots, bulbs, fruits, grains, drupe and tubers, along with insects and small vertebrates. [2] [3] [13] [14] Because they are cecal digesters, they are able to exploit low quality forage. [15] They have also been known to chew on bones to acquire minerals, such as calcium, that aid in quill growth. [3] [5] Their capability to form substantial fat reserves is a useful adaptation for living in seasonally fluctuating habitats. [7]
These porcupines can act as substantial habitat modifiers when excavating for tubers. [16] [17] They are also considered serious agricultural pests in many parts of their range due to their taste for agricultural crops. [9] [18] For these reasons, they are often regarded as a nuisance. [1]
Like other Old World porcupines, the Indian crested porcupine is nocturnal. [2] Both adults and weaned juveniles spend an average of 7 hours foraging every night. [9] [19] [20] They tend to avoid moonlight in the winter months, which could be a strategy to evade predation. [19] However, during summer months they do not avoid moonlight (likely because there are less dark hours during which to forage), but instead tend to stay closer to their dens. [19] During the day, they remain in their dens, [20] [21] but throughout the winter, they occasionally emerge from their dens during daylight hours to bask in the sun. [7]
The Indian crested porcupine is semifossorial. [2] They live in natural caves or in excavated burrows. [20] [21] Because they do not climb or jump well, they spend most of their lives on or under the ground. [4] However, they are good swimmers. [4]
Predators of the Indian crested porcupine include large cats, [22] [23] caracals, wolves, striped hyenas, Asian wild dogs, Saltwater crocodiles [24] and humans. [19] When excited or scared, a porcupine stands its quills up to appear larger. [4] It can also rattle the hollow quills at the base of its tail, stomp its feet, growl, grunt, or charge backward into the threat. [4]
Indian crested porcupines mate in February and March. [25] Gestation lasts an average of 240 days. [5] A female gives birth to one brood of two to four offspring per year. [3] Young are born with open eyes and are covered in short, soft quills that harden within a few hours after birth. [2] Young are fully weaned 13–19 weeks after birth, but remain in the den with parents and siblings until sexual maturity around 2 years of age. [25] It has been reported that the Indian crested porcupine is usually monogamous and mates every night throughout its life, not only for reproduction, but also to maintain and strengthen the pair bond, the relationship between the male and female partners. [26] Previously, this had only been found in humans, Bonobos, and some dolphins.
Due to its adaptability to a wide range of habitats and food types, the Indian crested porcupine is listed by the IUCN Red List as Least Concern as of 2008. [1] [2] Populations are stable and not severely fragmented, and while population status varies across its range, in many places it is common enough to be considered a pest. [1] However, as a result of urbanization, infrastructure development, and pesticide use, suitable porcupine habitat is currently declining. [2]
The Indian crested porcupine is protected under the India Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, amended up to 2002. [2] Nonetheless, because it is destructive to gardens and agricultural crops, it is widely hunted. [5] [27] It is traded for consumption and medicinal use. [2]
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. Both families belong to the infraorder Hystricognathi within the profoundly diverse order Rodentia and display superficially similar coats of rigid or semi-rigid quills, which are modified hairs composed of keratin. Despite this, the two groups are distinct from one another and are not closely related to each other within the Hystricognathi. The largest species of porcupine is the third-largest living rodent in the world, after the capybara and beaver.
The Old World porcupines, or Hystricidae, are large terrestrial rodents, distinguished by the spiny covering from which they take their name. They range over the south of Europe and the Levant, most of Africa, India, and Southeast Asia as far east as Flores. Although both the Old World and New World porcupine families belong to the infraorder Hystricognathi of the vast order Rodentia, they are quite different and are not particularly closely related.
The Bengal fox, also known as the Indian fox, is a fox endemic to the Indian subcontinent from the Himalayan foothills and Terai of Nepal through southern India, and from southern and eastern Pakistan to eastern India and southeastern Bangladesh.
The North American porcupine, 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. The porcupine is a caviomorph rodent whose ancestors crossed the Atlantic from Africa to Brazil 30 million years ago, and then migrated to North America during the Great American Interchange after the Isthmus of Panama rose 3 million years ago.
The American badger is a North American badger similar in appearance to the European badger, although not closely related. It is found in the western, central, and northeastern United States, northern Mexico, and south-central Canada to certain areas of southwestern British Columbia.
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The Cape porcupine, Cape crested porcupine or South African porcupine, is a species of Old World porcupine native to central and southern Africa.
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.
The crested porcupine, also known as the African crested porcupine, is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae native to Italy, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
The pallid bat is a species of bat that ranges from western Canada to central Mexico. It is the sole species of its genus and is closely related to Van Gelder's bat, which is sometimes included in Antrozous. Although it has in the past been placed in its own subfamily (Antrozoinae) or even family (Antrozoidae), it is now considered part of the subfamily Vespertilioninae and the tribe Antrozoini.
The wildlife of Iraq includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Iraq has multiple biomes from mountainous region in the north to the wet marshlands along the Euphrates river. The western part of the country is mainly desert and some semi-arid regions. As of 2001, seven of Iraq's mammal species and 12 of its bird species were endangered. The endangered species include the northern bald ibis and Persian fallow deer. The Syrian wild ass is extinct, and the Saudi Arabian dorcas gazelle was declared extinct in 2008.
The Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. It is found in China, Bhutan, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
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The Malayan porcupine or Himalayan porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. Three subspecies are extant in South and Southeast Asia.
The thick-spined porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo and found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
The Philippine porcupine or Palawan porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae endemic to the island of Palawan in the Philippines. It is known locally as durian or landak.
Townsend's ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in high desert shrublands in several areas of the United States.
The long-tailed porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. It is monotypic within the genus Trichys, and is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
The black-tailed jackrabbit, also known as the American desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico, where it is found at elevations from sea level up to 10,000 ft (3,000 m). Reaching a length around 2 ft (61 cm), and a weight from 3 to 6 lb, the black-tailed jackrabbit is one of the largest North American hares. Black-tailed jackrabbits occupy mixed shrub-grassland terrains. Their breeding depends on the location; it typically peaks in spring, but may continue all year round in warm climates. Young are born fully furred with eyes open; they are well camouflaged and are mobile within minutes of birth, thus females do not protect or even stay with the young except during nursing. The average litter size is around four, but may be as low as two and as high as seven in warm regions.
Hystrix refossa is an extinct species of large porcupine that was widespread in Eurasia during the Pleistocene.
