One of the 5 porcupines on WAnimals
Mammals · Rodentia · Hystricidae
Hystrix cristata
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
It is the largest porcupine in the world and the second longest-lived rodent after the naked mole-rat, with one documented individual reaching 28 years in captivity. It was possibly introduced to Italy by the ancient Romans.
Weight
13 kg – 27 kg
Size
60 cm – 83 cm
Life expectancy
28 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web · AnAge · Know Your Mammals · Creature Atlas · Animalia.bio · PMC · EBSCO Research Starters
Best time: All year round in northern and western Africa and in Italy, at night; it gives itself away by the quills dropped along paths.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 86.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Crested Porcupine — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Based on what we already know about crested porcupine.
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
