Mammals of the WorldMalayan Porcupine
Hystrix brachyura
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Hystricidae
- Genus
- Hystrix
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- China|India|Nepal|Bangladesh|Myanmar|Thailand|Laos|Vietnam|Cambodia|Malaysia|Brunei|Indonesia
- Realm
- Palearctic|Indomalaya
Other names: Himalayan Crestless Porcupine|Hodgson's Porcupine
About this species
- Size
- Head and body 56–74cm; tail 6–11cm
- Weight
- 10–18kg
- Diet
- Roots, tubers, bark and fallen fruit; also carrion, insects and large tropical seeds
- Habitat
- All forest types up to about 1,500m
- Gestation
- About 90–112 days
The Malayan or Himalayan porcupine is a large rodent with a head and body of 56–74 cm, a short tail of 6–11 cm, and a weight of 10–18 kg. The quills on the upper body are rough and black with white or yellow stripes, and the legs are short and stocky, covered in brown hairs, with four claws on the front feet and five on the hind. Three subspecies live in South and Southeast Asia (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is found in all forest types up to about 1,500 m. It is terrestrial and usually lives in small groups, and it may dig burrows from which a network of trails runs into the surrounding habitat. It forages at night and rests by day, feeding on roots, tubers, bark and fallen fruit, and also eats carrion, insects and large seeds. The young's soft quills harden as they become adults, gestation is about 90–112 days, and maximum longevity is about 27 years (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)