One of the 5 porcupines on WAnimals
Mammals · Rodentia · Hystricidae
Indian Crested Porcupine
Hystrix indica
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The Indian crested porcupine is a large, robust rodent covered in black and white quills that can be more than thirty centimetres long. It is nocturnal and digs extensive burrows in which it usually lives as a pair with that year's young. It eats roots, tubers, bark and fallen fruit, and gnaws bones and antlers to obtain calcium and wear down its incisors. The damage it does to crops causes frequent conflict in India and Pakistan.
Weight
11 kg – 18 kg
Size
70 cm – 90 cm
Life expectancy
20 years
