Indian Crested Porcupine

Indian Crested Porcupine

Hystrix indica

Eats

Indian Crested Porcupines are primarily herbivores, meaning they eat plants including fruits, grains, and roots.

Lives

They are mostly found in Southern Asia and the Middle East. They are adaptable and can be found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, scrublands, forests, and agricultural areas. They are known to thrive in both hilly and lowland regions.

Behavior

Indian crested porcupines are nocturnal animals, meaning they are most active during the night. They are generally solitary creatures, although they may occasionally be seen in pairs. They are excellent diggers and construct burrows or dens in the ground where they spend their daytime hours. These burrows often have multiple entrances and tunnels. When threatened, they raise their quills and stamp their feet to create a rattling sound to deter potential predators. If the threat doesn't leave, they can charge backward, attempting to stab the intruder with their quills.

Description

Indian crested porcupines are one of the world's largest rodents. Being a rodent, their teeth never stop growing, so they oftentimes are chewing on wood or hard vegetables to keep their teeth from being overgrown. Their bodies are covered in dark brown quills, modified hairs with barbs at the ends, which makes them sharp and an excellent defense against predators. The Indian Crested Porcupine gets its name from long quills around their head and neck that stand up when they are frightened.

Did you Know?

The longest quills grow on the shoulders and can get up to 20 inches long.

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Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Vulnerable
Vulnerable
Endangered
Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Extinct in the Wild
Extinct in the Wild
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