| |
|
|
| |
| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
|
| COMMON
NAME: |
prehensile-tailed porcupine, coendou |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Rodentia |
| FAMILY: |
Erethizontidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Coendou
(porcupine) prehensilis (prehensile/grasping) |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| DESCRIPTION: |
The
prehensile-tailed porcupine is a large, tree-dwelling
rodent that is covered with stout, barbed quills.
The prehensile tail does not have quills at the
tip and is designed for grasping onto tree branches. |
|
| SIZE: |
50-61 cm (20-24 in.) long |
|
| WEIGHT: |
4-6 kg (9-13 lb.) |
|
| DIET: |
Herbivores
that feed on leaves, stems, fruits, blossoms, and
roots |
|
| GESTATION: |
Gestation
lasts approximately 203 days (7 months); one offspring |
|
| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
1.5-2 years |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
10-12
years on average |
|
| RANGE: |
Panama;
Andes from Columbia to Argentina and Northwest Brazil |
|
| HABITAT: |
Lives
in the trees of the tropical rainforests |
|
| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 1. |
Porcupines that become alarmed do not shoot their
quills. They respond to the stimulus by raising
them up similar to the way people respond to the
weather by getting goose bumps. The quills of the
porcupine are barbed and because they easily fall
out when they are raised, it is very difficult for
any animal to touch them without getting one embedded
in its skin. |
|
|
| 2. |
Prehensile-tailed porcupines are nocturnal animals
that have long whiskers on their face and feet that
help them feel their way around at night. |
|
|
| 3. |
Prehensile-tailed porcupines are well-adapted for
their life in the treetops. They have a strong tail
that is used for grasping branches, and large feet
with bare soles (like callused pads) that aid in
tree climbing. |
|
|
| 4. |
Newborn
prehensile-tailed porcupines have red hair and soft
spines that will later harden to become stiff quills.
The precocial young will climb within days after
their birth. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Various
plant species must have seeds go through the digestive
system of an animal in order to propagate. Because
prehensile-tailed porcupines are herbivores, they
help disperse such seeds.
Porcupines
are also a possible food source for a few larger
animals, such as the jaguar.
Loss
of habitat due to deforestation is one of the
largest threats to this specialized tree-dwelling
species.
Occasionally,
they are eaten by South American Indians and their
quills are sometimes used as decoration. In some
areas, they are seen as a threat to farms, known
to damage crops in search of food.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Burton, M. World of Wildlife: Animals of South
America. London: Orbis Publishing, 1975. |
|
|
Grzimek, H.C. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia.
Vol. 2. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
1975. |
|
|
Nowak, R. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of the World.
Vol. 2. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press, 1991.
|
|
| Parker,
S. P. (ed). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol.
3. New York: McGraw-Hill. |
|
|
|
|
|
