Tree Porcupine: Precious And Threatened
The porcupine is one of the most particular animals of the rodent family. It is characterized by having the body covered with spikes, however, it does not share kinship with hedgehogs or echidnas.
Porcupines can be found in Europe, Africa, India, and America. Some live on the soil of prairies, deserts and forests and others are arboreal and spend their lives among lianas and branches.
A body covered with spikes
The most characteristic of the porcupine are its quills, since a single specimen can have up to more than 30,000 covering its body, and each one of them can measure more than 30 centimeters long.
The quills are modified hairs inserted in the musculature of the animal. Depending on the genus, they can be found in clusters or interspersed with the hair.
By means of the quills, the different species of porcupines can be distinguished. These are kept in a horizontal position as long as the animal does not feel threatened. When the porcupine is in danger, it bristles its back by raising its thousands of quills as a deterrent message to danger or threat.
The quills can be released when they come in contact with them, or can be thrown when the porcupine shakes its body, but they do not fire at potential attackers.
It is very easy for one of the quills to end up inserted into the skin of another attacking animal or the same individual, but it is not so easy to extract them. Each of the tines contains at its tip a structure of microscopic, rear-facing spikes that reduce the force of penetration, but maximize the permanence in the skin.
The tree porcupine is a great climber
The arboreal species inhabit the American continent, they are great climbers and spend most of their time in the trees.
The genus Coendou includes the porcupines that inhabit the Amazon area. Coendou prehensilis is the arboreal or Brazilian porcupine, its name refers to its prehensile tail, which makes it easy to climb.
It is a nocturnal and solitary animal, it only interacts with others of its species during the breeding season or with intraspecific fights. In fact, these animals emit olfactory signals to warn potential competitors of their presence and the noise that their quills make when they collide is also an intimidating signal.
During the day, they rest about twenty feet high on the trees. During the night they become more active and forage among the young leaves, stems, fruits, flowers, roots and bark, since their diet is mainly herbivorous.
How do we differentiate it from other porcupines?
The arboreal porcupine is a medium-sized species, about 55 centimeters long. It is completely covered by long, tricolor spikes, with a white base and tip and brown middle ones. The quills are longest on the upper back and taper towards the tail.
Its head is rounded with a prominent pink nose and lips. Its ears are small and are hidden between the spikes on its head. The tail has no spikes, is prehensile, and about the same size as the head and body together.
Antibiotic spikes to cure “self-punctures”
The Brazilian porcupine is not the only climbing species on the American continent, of the 16 arboreal species, 15 have a prehensile tail. The one that lacks this member has developed a very unique mechanism to avoid injuring itself by nailing its own quills when falling from the trees.
The quills of the American porcupine contain a topical antibiotic, so even if they get the prick, it does not cause a reaction. The attack of one of these animals can be quite painful, such is its effectiveness, that the big cats of Africa think twice before hunting a porcupine for prey.
The quills are not poisonous but they can infect and penetrate delicate areas such as the face, nostrils or gums. They can also pass through vital areas such as the heart or large vessels such as arteries.
Lions do not usually incorporate these animals into their diet, unless resources are scarce such as in times of drought. Still, they can be seriously injured.
The porcupine is seriously threatened in America
The destruction of the habitat of the arboreal porcupine is the main cause of its disappearance, as the species is currently threatened.
The populations of the Amazon basin are fragmented by the deforestation of the forests they inhabit, which causes the inbreeding of many species of the genus.
