This article is about the mammal. For other uses, see Porcupine (disambiguation).
Rodent with a coat of sharp spines
This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations.(April 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Porcupine
North American porcupine
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Rodentia
Suborder:
Hystricomorpha
Infraorder:
Hystricognathi
Groups included
Hystricidae (Old World porcupines)
Erethizontidae (New World porcupines)
Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa
†Bathyergoididae
Bathyergidae
†Myophiomyidae
†Diamantomyidae
†Phiomyidae
†Kenyamyidae
Petromuridae
Thryonomyidae
Chinchillidae
†Neoepiblemidae
Dinomyidae
†Cephalomyidae
†Eocardiidae
Caviidae
Dasyproctidae
Cuniculidae
Ctenomyidae
Octodontidae
Abrocomidae
Echimyidae
Myocastoridae
Capromyidae
†Heptaxodontidae
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 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 (Hystricidae) live in Italy, Asia (western[3] and southern), and most of Africa. They are large, terrestrial, and strictly nocturnal.
The New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) are indigenous to North America and northern South America. They live in wooded areas and can climb trees, where some species spend their entire lives. They are less strictly nocturnal than their Old World counterparts and generally smaller.
Most porcupines are about 60–90 cm (25–36 in) long, with a 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long tail. Weighing 5–16 kg (12–35 lb), they are rounded, large, and slow, and use an aposematic strategy of defence. Porcupines' colouration consists of various shades of brown, grey and white. Porcupines' spiny protection resembles that of the only distantly related erinaceomorph hedgehogs and Australian monotreme echidnas as well as tenrecid tenrecs.
^Roze, Uldis (2012). Porcupines: The Animal Answer Guide. Baltimore, Maryland, USA: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4214-0735-7.
^Cite error: The named reference NG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Porcupine Archived 2015-02-25 at the Wayback Machine. biblehub.com
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...
Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned...
North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), also known as the Canadian porcupine, is a large quill-covered rodent in the New World porcupine family. It...
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...
The crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata), also known as the African crested porcupine, is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae native to Italy...
The New World porcupines, family Erethizontidae, are large arboreal rodents, distinguished by their spiny coverings from which they take their name. They...
The Porcupine Mountains, or Porkies, are a group of small mountains spanning the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties...
The Sunda porcupine also known as Javan porcupine (Hystrix javanica) is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. It is endemic to Indonesia. Due...
The Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis), Cape crested porcupine or South African porcupine, is a species of Old World porcupine native to central...
The Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) is a porcupine found in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Paraguay...
The Porcupine is a short novel by Julian Barnes originally published in 1992. Before its British release date the book was first published earlier that...
Porcupine meatballs are an American casserole dish of ground beef and rice meatballs cooked in tomato sauce. They were a staple during the Great Depression...
The Old World porcupines, or Hystricidae, are large terrestrial rodents, distinguished by the spiny covering from which they take their name. They range...
Porcupine Bank is an area of the Irish shelf, on the fringes of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) west of Ireland. The relatively...
The Malayan porcupine or Himalayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. Three subspecies are extant in South...
The Andean porcupine (Coendou quichua) or Quichua porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Erethizontidae. It is found in the Andes of northern Ecuador...
following is a listing of officially released works by the English band Porcupine Tree. The band has released eleven major studio albums and 7 EPs, as well...
resources, leading to the Porcupine Gold Rush. The first known prospectors were a team led by Reuben D'Aigle, they set out for Porcupine Lake in 1907 and dug...
Porcupine Meat is an album by blues musician Bobby Rush. It was released by Rounder Records on September 16, 2016. It debuted at number 23 on the Billboard...
The black dwarf porcupine, also known as Koopman's porcupine (Coendou nycthemera), is a porcupine species from the New World porcupine family endemic to...
have been named HMS Porcupine, after the porcupine, a rodent belonging to the families Erethizontidae or Hystricidae. HMS Porcupine (1746) was a 16-gun...
Yosemite National Park (/joʊˈsɛmɪti/ yoh-SEM-ih-tee) is a national park in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on...
dangerous to consume since they can cause tetrodotoxin poisoning. The porcupine fish (as Diodon antennatus) is mentioned in Charles Darwin's famous account...
Global Information
