Mammals · Rodentia · Hystricidae

Sunda Porcupine

Hystrix javanica

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Sunda porcupine is a hystricomorph rodent endemic to Indonesia, occurring on Java, Bali, Madura, Lombok, Sumbawa and Flores. It is covered in long quills banded black and white that it can raise and rattle. It is nocturnal and spends the day in burrows or cavities among rocks. It feeds on roots, tubers, bark and fallen fruit, and gnaws bones and antlers for calcium and to wear down its incisors. It frequently enters crops, which has earned it a reputation as an agricultural pest.

Weight

5 kg – 10 kg

Size

45 cm – 60 cm

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Family group

Lives in small family groups with close bonds.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestIslandsHerbivore Nocturnal Family group Rainforest Islands Mammal

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Fun facts

Its quills are modified hairs of keratin; it does not shoot them, but charges backwards at an attacker to drive them in.
The hollow quills at the tip of the tail knock together to produce a warning rattle audible several metres away.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Forest, plantations and scrub of Java, Bali and the Lesser Sunda Islands
Birth weight: Born with its eyes open and soft quills
Size at birth: Born with its eyes open and soft quills, which harden within a few days
Gestation / incubation: 100 days
Litter / clutch size: 2

Sources consulted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunda_porcupine