From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend them from predators. They are endemic in both the Old World and the New World. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about 25–36 in (630–910 mm) long, with an 8–10 in (200–250 mm) long tail. Weighing between 12–35 lb (5.4–16 kg), they are rounded, large and slow. Porcupines come in various shades of brown, grey, and the unusual white. Porcupines' spiny protection resembles that of the unrelated erinaceomorph hedgehogs and monotreme echidnas.
[edit] Species
A porcupine is any of 27 species of rodent belonging to the families Erethizontidae or Hystricidae. Porcupines vary in size considerably: Rothschild's Porcupine of South America weighs less than a kilogram (2.2 lb (1.00 kg)); the African Porcupine can grow to well over 10 kg (22 lb). The two families of porcupines are quite different and although both belong to the Hystricognathi branch of the vast order Rodentia, they are not closely related.
The eleven Old World porcupines are almost exclusively terrestrial, tend to be fairly large, and have quills that are grouped in clusters. They are believed to have separated from the other hystricognaths about 30 million years ago, much earlier than the New World porcupines.
The twelve New World porcupines are mostly smaller (although the North American Porcupine reaches about 85 cm/33 in in length and 18 kg/40 lb), have their quills attached singly rather than grouped in clusters, and are excellent climbers, spending much of their time in trees. The New World porcupines evolved their spines independently (through convergent evolution) and are more closely related to several other families of rodent than they are to the Old World porcupines. Porcupines have a relatively high longevity and until recently held the record for being the longest living rodent[1], recently broken by the Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus glaber)[2]
[edit] Quills
A North American porcupine eating grass and clovers at dusk.
Porcupines' quills or spines take on various forms, depending on the species, but all are modified hairs coated with thick plates of keratin, and they are embedded in the skin musculature. Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) single quills are interspersed with bristles, underfur, and hair.
|
Possible copyright infringement
|
If you have just labeled this page as a possible copyright infringement, please add the following to the bottom of Wikipedia:Copyright_problems/2009_July_6
* {{subst:article-cv|:Porcupine}} from http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Erethizon_dorsatum.html. ~~~~
Place this notice on the talk page of the contributor of the copyrighted material:
{{subst:Nothanks-web|pg=Porcupine|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Erethizon_dorsatum.html}} ~~~~
By default, this template blanks all other content on the page. To limit blanking of the text, as for a copyright violation in a single section, place </div> at the end of the suspected copyvio area.
|
|
The previous content of this page appears to infringe on the copyright of the text from the source(s) below and is now listed on Wikipedia:Copyright problems:
- http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Erethizon_dorsatum.html
Do not edit this page until an administrator has resolved this issue.
- State that you have done so on this article's discussion page.
- Note that simply modifying copyrighted text is not sufficient to avoid copyright infringement—if the original copyright violation cannot be clearly identified and the article reverted to a prior version, it is best to write the article from scratch. For license compliance, the new article cannot incorporate phrases and sentences that were placed in the original article by other contributors unless credit is given as set out at the copyright policy. You may, however, duplicate non-infringing text that you had contributed yourself. An administrator will move the new article into place once the issue is resolved.
- Explain this on this article's discussion page, then either display a notice to this effect at the site of original publication or send an e-mail from an address associated with the original publication to permissions-en at wikimedia dot org or a postal letter to the Wikimedia Foundation. These messages must explicitly permit use under CC-BY-SA and the GFDL.
- Note: Articles on Wikipedia must be written from a neutral point of view and must be verifiable in published third-party sources; copyright issues aside, your text may not be appropriate for inclusion in Wikipedia.
- If this text is in the public domain, or is already under a license suitable for Wikipedia:
- Explain this on this article's discussion page, with reference to evidence.
Unless the copyright status of the text on this page is clarified, it may be deleted one week after the time of its listing.
|
- Posting copyrighted material without the express permission of the copyright holder is a violation of applicable law and of Wikipedia policy.
- If you have questions about copyright, see Copyright FAQ.
- Those who repeatedly post copyrighted material will be blocked from further editing.
- Temporarily, the original posting is still accessible for viewing in the page history.
- You are welcome to submit original contributions.
|
Porcupine quills are as sharp as needles, detach very easily, and will remain embedded in an attacker. Unlike needles, however, the quills of porcupines have microscopic, backwards-facing barbs on the tip that catch on the skin making them difficult and painful to extract. Quills are about 75 millimeters (3.0 in) long and 2 millimeters (0.079 in) in width. If a quill becomes lodged in the tissues of an animal, the barbs act to pull the quill further into the tissues with the normal muscle movements of that animal, moving up to several millimeters in a day. Predators have been known to die as a result of quill penetration and infection. Quills are still capable of penetrating animals after death. [3]
Quills are released by contact with them, or they may drop out when the porcupine shakes its body, but cannot be projected at attackers, contrary to popular belief. New quills grow to replace lost ones.
[edit] Habitats
Porcupines occupy a wide range of habitats in tropical and temperate parts of
Asia,
Italy,
Africa, and
North and
South America. Porcupines live in forests, deserts, rocky outcrops, hillsides and grasslands. Some new world porcupines live in trees, but old world porcupines stay on the ground. Porcupines can be found on rocky areas up to 3,500 m (11,000 ft) high. Porcupines are nocturnal.
A North American porcupine foraging for grubs in the grass.
[edit] Salt licks
Porcupines in search of salt sometimes encroach on human habitats, eating plywood cured with sodium nitrate,[4] certain paints, and tool handles, footwear, clothes and other items that have been coated in salty sweat. Porcupines are attracted to roads in areas where rock salt is used to melt ice and snow, and are known to gnaw on vehicle tires or wiring coated in road salt. Salt licks placed nearby can prevent porcupines from injuring themselves.
Natural sources of salt consumed by porcupines include varieties of salt-rich plants (such as yellow water lily and aquatic liverwort), fresh animal bones, outer tree bark, mud in salt-rich soils, and objects imbued with urine.[5]
[edit] Etymology and Mythology
- The name "porcupine" comes from Middle French porc d'épine which could be translated as "thorny", "spined", or "quilled" "pork" or "pig", hence the nickname "quill pig" for the animal. A group of porcupines is called a "prickle"[6].
- From ancient times it was believed that porcupines can throw their quills at an enemy. This has long been refuted, being the result of loose quills being shaken free.[7][8]
Order Rodentia
- Suborder Hystricomorpha
- Infraorder Hystricognathi
- Family Hystricidae: Old World porcupines
- African Brush-tailed Porcupine, Atherurus africanus
- Asiatic Brush-tailed Porcupine, Atherurus macrourus
- African Porcupine, Hystrix cristata
- Cape Porcupine, Hystrix africaeaustralis
- Himalayan Porcupine, Hystrix hodgsoni
- Indian Porcupine, Hystrix indicus
- Malayan Porcupine, Hystrix brachyura
- Sunda Porcupine, Hystrix javanica
- Sumatran Porcupine, Hystrix sumatrae
- Bornean Porcupine, Thecurus crassispinis
- Philippine Porcupine, Thecurus pumilis
- Long-tailed Porcupine, Trichys fasciculata
- Family Thryonomyidae: cane rats
- Family Petromuridae: Dassie Rat
- Family Bathyergidae: African mole-rats
- Family Hydrochaeridae: capybara
- Family Caviidae: cavies
- Family Dasyproctidae: agoutis and acouchis
- Family Erethizontidae: New World porcupines
- Brazilian Porcupine, Coendou prehensilis
- Bicolor-spined Porcupine, Coendou bicolor
- Koopman's Porcupine, Coendou koopmani
- Rothschild's Porcupine, Coendou rothschildi
- Mexican Tree Porcupine, Sphiggurus mexicanus
- South American Tree Porcupine, Sphiggurus spinosus
- Bahia Hairy Dwarf Porcupine, Sphiggurus insidiosus
- Pallid Hairy Dwarf Porcupine, Sphiggurus pallidus (extinct)
- Brown Hairy Dwarf Porcupine, Sphiggurus vestitus
- Orange-spined Hairy Dwarf Porcupine, Sphiggurus villosus
- North American Porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum
- Stump-tailed Porcupine, Echinoprocta rufescens
- Bristle-spined Porcupine, Chaetomys subspinosus (sometimes considered an echymid)
- Family Chinchillidae: chinchillas and allies
- Family Ctenomyidae: tuco-tucos
- Family Myocastoridae: Coypu
- Family Octodontidae: octodonts
- Family Ctenodactylidae: gundis
[edit] References
- ^ Parker, SB (1990) Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals, vol. 4, McGraw-Hill, New York.
- ^ Buffenstein, R & Jarvis, JUM (2002) The Naked Mole Rat--A New Record for the Oldest Living Rodent, Sci. Aging Knowl. Environ., 2002(21), p. pe7, DOI: 10.1126/sageke.2002.21.pe7
- ^ "North American porcupines". University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Erethizon_dorsatum.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
- ^ Morrisson, Philip; Morrisson, Phyllis (March 2001). "Wonders: The Needy Porcupine". Scientific American. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000B3425-FD09-1C70-84A9809EC588EF21. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
- ^ Olson, Rich; Andrea M. Lewis (May 1999) (PDF). Porcupine Ecology and Damage Management Techniques for Rural Homeowners. University of Wyoming, Cooperative Extension Service. pp. 4. http://ces.uwyo.edu/PUBS/B1073.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-06-29. [citation needed]
- ^ Animal Collectives http://www.hintsandthings.com/kennel/collectives.htm
- ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1823 Edition. Page 501. Google Book Search
- ^ Goodwin, Thomas Shepard. Natural History, a Manual of Zoology. New York, 1865. Page 78. Google Book Search
[edit] External links
