Brazilian porcupine
The Brazilian porcupine is a porcupine found in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Bolivia and Trinidad, with a single record from Ecuador. It inhabits tropical forests at elevations up to 1500 m.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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ScansorialScansorial animals are those that are adapted to or specialized for climbing. Many animals climb not only in tress but also in other habitats, such...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withPrehensile-tailed porcupines or Brazilian porcupines are large and have a long, strong prehensile tail. They are well adapted to live in trees. Their skin color ranges from brownish-black to yellow-orange rust and their backs are covered with long quills. The yellow-orange color results from a pungent waxy substance secreted from their sebaceous glands. The tricolored semi-hollow quills have white tips ending in a barbed end. Their prehensile tails do not have spines and are used for stabilization as well as clinging while climbing and hanging. These animals have small ears, wide nasal openings, long whiskers, and procumbent upper incisors. Their eyes are surrounded by a thin strip of bare skin within their coat of spines that goes all the way to their nose.
Prehensile-tailed porcupine inhabits tropical forests from Argentina to Brazil, as well as eastern parts of Bolivia and the island of Trinidad. They occupy a diverse range of environments but are not found any higher than 1,500 meters. They mostly live in old-growth forests where there are abundant trees for dwelling and foraging but they also occupy humid mountainous highlands, vast tropical grasslands, and a few croplands.
Prehensile-tailed porcupines are shy nocturnal animals; they prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle or may spend time in pairs. During the day they rest in tree hollows or on high branches or forks or shaded parts of the canopy, coming out at night to forage. Their prehensile tail is used to curl around branches when climbing. These porcupines rarely descend to the ground. They are not aggressive but will defend themselves ferociously if attacked. When excited, porcupines stamp their hind feet and if caught, they will roll into a ball. Their main vocalizations consist of growls and cries.
Prehensile-tailed porcupines are herbivores that forage, mostly among trees. They eat the bark and the layer inside the bark of some trees, as well as buds, fruits, roots, stems, blossoms, leaves, unripened seeds, and crops like bananas and corn.
Prehensile-tailed porcupines are monogamous. The males spray females and the young to mark them during courtship and again when the young are born and possibly continuing to mark both the young and their mother. Sometimes males and females are seen together, but they apparently forage and sleep separately. They have no designated breeding season, so they can breed year-round. The gestation period is about 200 days and generally, a single highly developed baby is born. Weaning takes place after 10 weeks, and within a year the young reaches adult size. Females become reproductively mature in 19 months. Soon after giving birth, females will mate again.
The main threats for these porcupines are the destruction of their habitat and hunting by humans.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Prehensile-tailed porcupine total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable.
Prehensile-tailed porcupines are primary plant material consumers in their geographic range. Their foraging assists in the dispersal of tree seeds.
