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By Lisa DeBruine
Geographic Range
Hystrix africaeaustralis is found only in sub-saharan Africa, excluding the coastal desert of the southwest. ("The South African Porcupine Page", 1999; Smithers, 1983)
Habitat
South African porcupines are found from sea level to 2000 m above sea level in most areas with vegetation. They prefer rocky hills and outcrops, as they must have shelter during the day. They often take shelter in caves or antbear (Orycteropus afer) holes. They also build dens which can be up to 20m long with a 2m deep living chamber. (Nowak, 1999; Smithers, 1983; Storch, 1990)
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
temperate 
; tropical ; terrestrial .
Terrestrial Biomes:
savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest .
Physical Description
(39.6 to 66 lbs)
South African porcupines are the largest rodent in their region. Females are, on average, about one kilogram heavier than males and both sexes are larger than half a meter long.
These porcupines are covered with flat, bristly hairs and have quills and spines on the posterior back and flanks. The difference between quills and spines is largely one of length and thickness, with spines up to 50 cm long and quills up to 30 cm long. The white and black crest of spines and quills can be erected at will to make the animal look enormous and threatening. Some spines on the tail are hollow and make a rattling sound when shaken. The very sharp spines and quills come off when touched by a predator or shaken off, but they grow back rapidly. South African porcupines also have very long mobile whiskers. (Nowak, 1999; Smithers, 1983; Storch, 1990)
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry .
Sexual dimorphism: female larger.
Reproduction
Female porcupines usually breed once yearly, although more often is possible.
Breeding occurs from May through December.
Because of their dangerous anatomy, females initiate copulation by presenting to the males. (Nowak, 1999; Smithers, 1983; Storch, 1990)
Male porcupines reach sexual maturity between eight and eighteen months, while females reach sexual maturity between nine and sixteen months. Gestation lasts for three months.
The young are born in litters of one to four into a grass-lined chamber in the parents' den during the wet months of August to March. The average litter size is 1.5 and the average newborn mass is 311g.
Young porcupines nurse for three to four months, at which point they will weigh four to five kilograms. After the weaning of their young, female porcupines can not conceive for another three to five months. (Nowak, 1999; Smithers, 1983; Storch, 1990)
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous .
Young are born relatively well-developed, with their eyes open and teeth present. They have soft quills and spines at birth (most likely to ease the birthing process) but they quickly harden in the air. The young grow rapidly, reaching full size in about a year. (Nowak, 1999; Smithers, 1983; Storch, 1990)
Parental investment:
precocial ; pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (provisioning: female, protecting: female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: female, protecting: female).
Lifespan/Longevity
These porcupines are long-lived for rodents, surviving 12 to 15 years in the wild.
Behavior
South African porcupines are primarily nocturnal, although they may be seen during the day.
South African Porcupines are described as either solitary creatures or living in small family groups. Storch (1990) portrays them as living in clans of up to six family members in which both parents give long-term care to young. They have also been reported to be intraspecifically aggressive, although the exact situation was not mentioned. (Smithers, 1983; Storch, 1990)
Food Habits
South African porcupines are mostly vegetarian, using their strong digging claws to get roots, tubers, and bulbs. They are also fond of fallen fruits and will sometimes gnaw on bark. Their anterior large intestine and enlarged appendix contain microorganisms that break down undigested plant fibers.
They have also been reported to eat carrion in some instances. In areas deficient in phosphorous they practice osteophagia, or gnawing on bones. These porcupines will often accumulate large piles of bones in their dens. (Nowak, 1999; Storch, 1990)
Primary Diet:
herbivore (lignivore, eats sap or other plant foods).
Plant Foods:
leaves; roots and tubers; wood, bark, or stems; flowers.
Predation
Hystrix africaeaustralis have interesting defensive behaviors. They have quite acute hearing and will freeze when approached by predators, such as big cats, large predatory birds, or hyaenas. When cornered, these porcupines can be aggressive, running sideways or backwards to embed their sharp quills in an attacker. Contrary to myth, they can not throw their quills, but they may become dislodged when they shake their hollow rattling quills. Another defensive behavior is to hide in their holes facing in and erect their spines so that they can not be dislodged. (Smithers, 1983; Storch, 1990)
Anti-predator adaptations::
aposematic .
Ecosystem Roles
Porcupine foraging has important impacts on the plant communities in which they live.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Porcupines eat vegetable crops and are destructive feeders. That is, they dig up and destroy much more food than they eat. (Smithers, 1983)
Ways that these animals might be a problem for humans:
crop pest.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Porcupines are important members of healthy ecosystems.
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
food .
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Least Concern.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
South African porcupines are not considered threatened currently.
Contributors
Lisa DeBruine (author), University of Michigan.
Phil Myers (editor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
