Cape porcupine

Common card · No. 413273

The Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) is a species of Old World porcupine native to central and southern Africa. It is among the largest living rodents and has a stocky body covered with long spines and shorter defensive quills. Its range extends north to southern Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it occurs in a wide variety of habitats, although it largely avoids dense forests, the driest deserts and swampland. Cape porcupines feed mainly on plant material, including fruit, roots, tubers, bulbs, and bark. They are nocturnal and monogamous, usually living in pairs that share and defend a territory, although they generally forage alone. Females normally give birth once a year, with litters of up to three young. The species can live for about 10 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0