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Indian crested porcupine

January 24, 2023

The Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) is a hystricomorph rodent species native to southern Asia and the Middle East. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It belongs to the Old World porcupine family, Hystricidae.[1]

Indian crested porcupine
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Hystricidae
Genus: Hystrix
Species:
H. indica
Binomial name
Hystrix indica
Kerr, 1792

Description

The Indian crested porcupine is a large rodent, weighing 11–18 kg (24–40 lb).[2] Their body (from the nose to the base of the tail) measures between 70 and 90 cm (28 and 35 in) with the tail adding an additional 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in).[3] The lifespan of wild Indian crested porcupines is unknown, but the oldest known captive individual was a female that lived to be 27.1 years old.[2]

It is covered in multiple layers of modified hair called quills, with longer, thinner quills covering a layer of shorter, thicker ones.[2] The quills are brown or black with alternating white and black bands.[4] They are made of keratin and are relatively flexible.[4] Each quill is connected to a muscle at its base, allowing the porcupine to raise its quills when it feels threatened.[4] The longest quills are located on the neck and shoulder, where the quills form a "skirt" around the animal.[4] These quills can grow up to 51 cm (20 in) long,[4] with most measuring between 15 and 30 cm (5.9 and 11.8 in).[5] Smaller (20 cm) and more rigid quills are packed densely on the back and rump.[4] These smaller quills are used to stab at potential threats.[4] The base of the tail contains shorter quills that appear white in color, with longer, hollow quills that the porcupine can rattle to produce a warning sound when threatened.[6] Contrary to popular belief, Indian crested porcupines (like all porcupines) cannot shoot their quills.[4]

The Indian crested porcupine has a stocky build with a low surface area to volume ratio, which aids in heat conservation.[7] It has broad feet with long claws used for burrowing.[2] Like all porcupines, the Indian crested porcupine has a good sense of smell and sharp, chisel-like incisors.[4]

Distribution and habitat

 
Indian crested porcupine on a rocky hillside

Indian crested porcupines are found throughout southwest and central Asia,[2] including Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Yemen.[1] Due to their flexible environmental tolerances, Indian crested porcupines occupy a broad range of habitats.[1] They prefer rocky hillsides,[2] but are also common in tropical and temperate shrublands, grasslands, forests, plantations, and gardens.[1] Their range seems to be limited by seasonal densities of forage and the availability of suitable substrates for digging burrows.[8] More specifically, the northern range of the Indian crested porcupine is limited by minimum summer night duration: they do not occur above latitudes where minimum night duration is less than 7 hours, presumably because of the amount of foraging time required to meet their dietary needs.[9]

In 2018, a porcupine was spotted at Wadi Wurayah in the United Arab Emirates.[10][11]

Diet

 
A captive Indian crested porcupine

Indian crested porcupines have a very broad and mostly herbivorous diet.[2] They consume a variety of natural and agricultural plant material, including roots, bulbs, fruits, grains, drupe and tubers, along with insects and small vertebrates.[2][3][12][13] Because they are cecal digesters, they are able to exploit low quality forage.[14] They have also been known to chew on bones to acquire minerals, such as calcium, that aid in quill growth.[3][5] Their capability to form substantial fat reserves is a useful adaptation for living in seasonally fluctuating habitats.[7]

These porcupines can act as substantial habitat modifiers when excavating for tubers.[15][16] They are also considered serious agricultural pests in many parts of their range due to their taste for agricultural crops.[9][17] For these reasons, they are often regarded as a nuisance.[1]

Behaviour

Like other Old World porcupines, the Indian crested porcupine is nocturnal.[2] Both adults and weaned juveniles spend an average of 7 hours foraging every night.[9][18][19] They tend to avoid moonlight in the winter months, which could be a strategy to evade predation.[18] However, during summer months they do not avoid moonlight (likely because there are less dark hours during which to forage), but instead tend to stay closer to their dens.[18] During the day, they remain in their dens,[19][20] but throughout the winter, they occasionally emerge from their dens during daylight hours to bask in the sun.[7]

The Indian crested porcupine is semifossorial.[2] They live in natural caves or in excavated burrows.[19][20] Because they do not climb or jump well, they spend most of their lives on or under the ground.[4] However, they are good swimmers.[4]

Predators of the Indian crested porcupine include large cats,[21][22] caracals, wolves, striped hyenas, Asian wild dogs, Saltwater crocodiles[23] and humans.[18] When excited or scared, a porcupine stands its quills up to appear larger.[4] It can also rattle the hollow quills at the base of its tail, stomp its feet, growl, grunt, or charge backward into the threat.[4]

Reproduction

Indian crested porcupines mate in February and March.[24] Gestation lasts an average of 240 days.[5] A female gives birth to one brood of two to four offspring per year.[3] Young are born with open eyes and are covered in short, soft quills that harden within a few hours after birth.[2] Young are fully weaned 13–19 weeks after birth, but remain in the den with parents and siblings until sexual maturity around 2 years of age.[24] It has been reported that the Indian crested porcupine is usually monogamous and mates every night throughout its life, not only for reproduction, but also to maintain and strengthen the pair bond, the relationship between the male and female partners.[25] Previously, this had only been found in humans, Bonobos, and some dolphins.

Conservation

 
Indian crested porcupine in a trap

Due to its adaptability to a wide range of habitats and food types, the Indian crested porcupine is listed by the IUCN Red List as Least Concern as of 2008.[1][2] Populations are stable and not severely fragmented, and while population status varies across its range, in many places it is common enough to be considered a pest.[1] However, as a result of urbanization, infrastructure development, and pesticide use, suitable porcupine habitat is currently declining.[2]

The Indian crested porcupine is protected under the India Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, amended up to 2002.[2] Nonetheless, because it is destructive to gardens and agricultural crops, it is widely hunted.[5][26] It is traded for consumption and medicinal use.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Amori, G.; Hutterer, R.; Kryštufek, B.; Yigit, N.; Mitsainas, G.; Palomo, L. (2021). "Hystrix indica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T10751A197516522. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T10751A197516522.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica) - Information on Indian Crested Porcupine - Encyclopedia of Life". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Prater, Stanley Henry (1965). The Book of Indian Animals. Bombay: Diocesan Press.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m . San Diego Zoo. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Gurung, K.K.; Singh, R. (1996). Field Guide to the Mammals of the Indian Subcontinent. San Diego: Academic Press.
  6. ^ Ellerman, J.R. (1961). The Fauna of India. New Delhi: Manager of Publications.
  7. ^ a b c Alkon, Philip U.; Degen, A. Allan; Cohen, Anat; Pollak, Haya (1986). "Seasonal Energy Requirements and Water Intakes of Indian Crested Porcupines (Hystrix indica) in Captivity". Journal of Mammalogy. 67 (2): 333–342. doi:10.2307/1380887. JSTOR 1380887.
  8. ^ Gorbunov, A.V. (1985). "Features of the ecology of porcupines in the deserts of eastern Prikaspia". Soviet Journal of Ecology. 16: 248–253.
  9. ^ a b c Alkon, Philip U.; Saltz, David (1 May 1988). "Foraging Time and the Northern Range Limits of Indian Crested Porcupines (Hystrix indica Kerr)". Journal of Biogeography. 15 (3): 403–408. doi:10.2307/2845271. JSTOR 2845271.
  10. ^ Haza, Ruba (12 September 2018). "Species of porcupine seen for first time in the Fujairah". The National. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  11. ^ De Leon, Janice Ponce (13 September 2018). "First confirmed sighting of Indian crested porcupine in UAE". Fujairah: Gulf News. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  12. ^ Gutterman, Y.; Herr, Nir (1981). "Influences of porcupine (Hystrix indica) activity on the slopes on the northern Negev mountains – Germination and vegetation renewal in different geomorphological types and slope directions". Oecologia. 51 (3): 332–334. doi:10.1007/BF00540902. PMID 28310016. S2CID 41549116.
  13. ^ Kadhim, A.-H. H. (1997). "Distribution and reproduction of the Indian Crested Porcupine Hystrix indica (Hystricidae: Rodentia) in Iraq". Zoology in the Middle East. 15 (1): 9–12. doi:10.1080/09397140.1997.10637731.
  14. ^ Hanley, T. A. (1982). "The Nutritional Basis for Food Selection by Ungulates". Journal of Range Management. 35 (2): 146–151. doi:10.2307/3898379. hdl:10150/646267. JSTOR 3898379.
  15. ^ Olsvig-Whittaker, L.; Shachak, M.; Yair, A. (1983). "Vegetation patterns related to environmental factors in a Negev Desert watershed". Vegetatio. 54 (3): 153–165. doi:10.1007/BF00047104. S2CID 2152645.
  16. ^ Yair, A.; Shachak, M. (1982). "A case study of energy, water and soil flow chains in an arid ecosystem". Oecologia. 54 (3): 389–397. doi:10.1007/BF00380008. PMID 28309963. S2CID 37783090.
  17. ^ Hafeez, S.; S., K. G.; Khan, M.; H., A. Z. "Food habits of the Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) in Faisalabad, Pakistan". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  18. ^ a b c d Alkon, P. U.; Saltz, D. M. (1988). "Influence of Season and Moonlight on Temporal-Activity Patterns of Indian Crested Porcupines (Hystrix indica)". Journal of Mammalogy. 69 (1): 71–80. doi:10.2307/1381749. JSTOR 1381749.
  19. ^ a b c Alkon, P. U.; Saltz, D. (1985). "Potatoes and the Nutritional Ecology of Crested Porcupines in a Desert Biome". Journal of Applied Ecology. 22 (3): 727–737. doi:10.2307/2403225. JSTOR 2403225.
  20. ^ a b Harrison, D.L. (1972). The Mammals of Arabia. Vol. 3. London: Ernest Benn.
  21. ^ Kingdon, J.S. (1974). East African Mammals. Vol. 2. London: Academic Press.
  22. ^ Owens, M.; Owens, D. (1984). Cry of the Kalahari. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0395647806.
  23. ^ Samarasinghe, D. J. S.; Alwis, D. (2017). "Crocodylus porosus (Saltwater Crocodile) diet". Herpetological Review. 48 (3): 630–631.
  24. ^ a b van Aarde, R.J. (1985). "Reproduction in captive female Cape porcupines (Hystrix africaeaustralis)". Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. 75 (2): 577–582. doi:10.1530/jrf.0.0750577. PMID 4067934.
  25. ^ Z Server, Regular sex keeps porcupines faithful, New Scientist, Nov.12, 1988
  26. ^ Qumsiyeh, M. B. (1 January 1996). Mammals of the Holy Land. Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 9780896723641.

External links

 
Wikispecies has information related to Hystrix indica.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hystrix indica.

January 24, 2023
indian, crested, porcupine, hystrix, indica, hystricomorph, rodent, species, native, southern, asia, middle, east, listed, least, concern, iucn, list, belongs, world, porcupine, family, hystricidae, conservation, statusleast, concern, iucn, scientific, classif. The Indian crested porcupine Hystrix indica is a hystricomorph rodent species native to southern Asia and the Middle East It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List It belongs to the Old World porcupine family Hystricidae 1 Indian crested porcupineConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder RodentiaFamily HystricidaeGenus HystrixSpecies H indicaBinomial nameHystrix indicaKerr 1792 Contents 1 Description 2 Distribution and habitat 3 Diet 4 Behaviour 5 Reproduction 6 Conservation 7 References 8 External linksDescription EditThe Indian crested porcupine is a large rodent weighing 11 18 kg 24 40 lb 2 Their body from the nose to the base of the tail measures between 70 and 90 cm 28 and 35 in with the tail adding an additional 8 10 cm 3 1 3 9 in 3 The lifespan of wild Indian crested porcupines is unknown but the oldest known captive individual was a female that lived to be 27 1 years old 2 It is covered in multiple layers of modified hair called quills with longer thinner quills covering a layer of shorter thicker ones 2 The quills are brown or black with alternating white and black bands 4 They are made of keratin and are relatively flexible 4 Each quill is connected to a muscle at its base allowing the porcupine to raise its quills when it feels threatened 4 The longest quills are located on the neck and shoulder where the quills form a skirt around the animal 4 These quills can grow up to 51 cm 20 in long 4 with most measuring between 15 and 30 cm 5 9 and 11 8 in 5 Smaller 20 cm and more rigid quills are packed densely on the back and rump 4 These smaller quills are used to stab at potential threats 4 The base of the tail contains shorter quills that appear white in color with longer hollow quills that the porcupine can rattle to produce a warning sound when threatened 6 Contrary to popular belief Indian crested porcupines like all porcupines cannot shoot their quills 4 The Indian crested porcupine has a stocky build with a low surface area to volume ratio which aids in heat conservation 7 It has broad feet with long claws used for burrowing 2 Like all porcupines the Indian crested porcupine has a good sense of smell and sharp chisel like incisors 4 Distribution and habitat Edit Indian crested porcupine on a rocky hillsideIndian crested porcupines are found throughout southwest and central Asia 2 including Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan China Georgia India Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Lebanon Nepal Pakistan Saudi Arabia Sri Lanka Turkey Turkmenistan and Yemen 1 Due to their flexible environmental tolerances Indian crested porcupines occupy a broad range of habitats 1 They prefer rocky hillsides 2 but are also common in tropical and temperate shrublands grasslands forests plantations and gardens 1 Their range seems to be limited by seasonal densities of forage and the availability of suitable substrates for digging burrows 8 More specifically the northern range of the Indian crested porcupine is limited by minimum summer night duration they do not occur above latitudes where minimum night duration is less than 7 hours presumably because of the amount of foraging time required to meet their dietary needs 9 In 2018 a porcupine was spotted at Wadi Wurayah in the United Arab Emirates 10 11 Diet Edit A captive Indian crested porcupine Indian crested porcupines have a very broad and mostly herbivorous diet 2 They consume a variety of natural and agricultural plant material including roots bulbs fruits grains drupe and tubers along with insects and small vertebrates 2 3 12 13 Because they are cecal digesters they are able to exploit low quality forage 14 They have also been known to chew on bones to acquire minerals such as calcium that aid in quill growth 3 5 Their capability to form substantial fat reserves is a useful adaptation for living in seasonally fluctuating habitats 7 These porcupines can act as substantial habitat modifiers when excavating for tubers 15 16 They are also considered serious agricultural pests in many parts of their range due to their taste for agricultural crops 9 17 For these reasons they are often regarded as a nuisance 1 Behaviour EditLike other Old World porcupines the Indian crested porcupine is nocturnal 2 Both adults and weaned juveniles spend an average of 7 hours foraging every night 9 18 19 They tend to avoid moonlight in the winter months which could be a strategy to evade predation 18 However during summer months they do not avoid moonlight likely because there are less dark hours during which to forage but instead tend to stay closer to their dens 18 During the day they remain in their dens 19 20 but throughout the winter they occasionally emerge from their dens during daylight hours to bask in the sun 7 The Indian crested porcupine is semifossorial 2 They live in natural caves or in excavated burrows 19 20 Because they do not climb or jump well they spend most of their lives on or under the ground 4 However they are good swimmers 4 Predators of the Indian crested porcupine include large cats 21 22 caracals wolves striped hyenas Asian wild dogs Saltwater crocodiles 23 and humans 18 When excited or scared a porcupine stands its quills up to appear larger 4 It can also rattle the hollow quills at the base of its tail stomp its feet growl grunt or charge backward into the threat 4 Reproduction EditIndian crested porcupines mate in February and March 24 Gestation lasts an average of 240 days 5 A female gives birth to one brood of two to four offspring per year 3 Young are born with open eyes and are covered in short soft quills that harden within a few hours after birth 2 Young are fully weaned 13 19 weeks after birth but remain in the den with parents and siblings until sexual maturity around 2 years of age 24 It has been reported that the Indian crested porcupine is usually monogamous and mates every night throughout its life not only for reproduction but also to maintain and strengthen the pair bond the relationship between the male and female partners 25 Previously this had only been found in humans Bonobos and some dolphins Conservation Edit Indian crested porcupine in a trap Due to its adaptability to a wide range of habitats and food types the Indian crested porcupine is listed by the IUCN Red List as Least Concern as of 2008 1 2 Populations are stable and not severely fragmented and while population status varies across its range in many places it is common enough to be considered a pest 1 However as a result of urbanization infrastructure development and pesticide use suitable porcupine habitat is currently declining 2 The Indian crested porcupine is protected under the India Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 amended up to 2002 2 Nonetheless because it is destructive to gardens and agricultural crops it is widely hunted 5 26 It is traded for consumption and medicinal use 2 References Edit a b c d e f g h Amori G Hutterer R Krystufek B Yigit N Mitsainas G Palomo L 2021 Hystrix indica IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021 e T10751A197516522 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2021 1 RLTS T10751A197516522 en Retrieved 19 November 2021 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Indian Crested Porcupine Hystrix indica Information on Indian Crested Porcupine Encyclopedia of Life Encyclopedia of Life Retrieved 19 November 2015 a b c d Prater Stanley Henry 1965 The Book of Indian Animals Bombay Diocesan Press a b c d e f g h i j k l m Indian Crested Porcupine San Diego Zoo Archived from the original on 15 March 2018 Retrieved 19 November 2015 a b c d Gurung K K Singh R 1996 Field Guide to the Mammals of the Indian Subcontinent San Diego Academic Press Ellerman J R 1961 The Fauna of India New Delhi Manager of Publications a b c Alkon Philip U Degen A Allan Cohen Anat Pollak Haya 1986 Seasonal Energy Requirements and Water Intakes of Indian Crested Porcupines Hystrix indica in Captivity Journal of Mammalogy 67 2 333 342 doi 10 2307 1380887 JSTOR 1380887 Gorbunov A V 1985 Features of the ecology of porcupines in the deserts of eastern Prikaspia Soviet Journal of Ecology 16 248 253 a b c Alkon Philip U Saltz David 1 May 1988 Foraging Time and the Northern Range Limits of Indian Crested Porcupines Hystrix indica Kerr Journal of Biogeography 15 3 403 408 doi 10 2307 2845271 JSTOR 2845271 Haza Ruba 12 September 2018 Species of porcupine seen for first time in the Fujairah The National Retrieved 13 September 2018 De Leon Janice Ponce 13 September 2018 First confirmed sighting of Indian crested porcupine in UAE Fujairah Gulf News Retrieved 13 September 2018 Gutterman Y Herr Nir 1981 Influences of porcupine Hystrix indica activity on the slopes on the northern Negev mountains Germination and vegetation renewal in different geomorphological types and slope directions Oecologia 51 3 332 334 doi 10 1007 BF00540902 PMID 28310016 S2CID 41549116 Kadhim A H H 1997 Distribution and reproduction of the Indian Crested Porcupine Hystrix indica Hystricidae Rodentia in Iraq Zoology in the Middle East 15 1 9 12 doi 10 1080 09397140 1997 10637731 Hanley T A 1982 The Nutritional Basis for Food Selection by Ungulates Journal of Range Management 35 2 146 151 doi 10 2307 3898379 hdl 10150 646267 JSTOR 3898379 Olsvig Whittaker L Shachak M Yair A 1983 Vegetation patterns related to environmental factors in a Negev Desert watershed Vegetatio 54 3 153 165 doi 10 1007 BF00047104 S2CID 2152645 Yair A Shachak M 1982 A case study of energy water and soil flow chains in an arid ecosystem Oecologia 54 3 389 397 doi 10 1007 BF00380008 PMID 28309963 S2CID 37783090 Hafeez S S K G Khan M H A Z Food habits of the Indian crested porcupine Hystrix indica in Faisalabad Pakistan a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty url help a b c d Alkon P U Saltz D M 1988 Influence of Season and Moonlight on Temporal Activity Patterns of Indian Crested Porcupines Hystrix indica Journal of Mammalogy 69 1 71 80 doi 10 2307 1381749 JSTOR 1381749 a b c Alkon P U Saltz D 1985 Potatoes and the Nutritional Ecology of Crested Porcupines in a Desert Biome Journal of Applied Ecology 22 3 727 737 doi 10 2307 2403225 JSTOR 2403225 a b Harrison D L 1972 The Mammals of Arabia Vol 3 London Ernest Benn Kingdon J S 1974 East African Mammals Vol 2 London Academic Press Owens M Owens D 1984 Cry of the Kalahari Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN 978 0395647806 Samarasinghe D J S Alwis D 2017 Crocodylus porosus Saltwater Crocodile diet Herpetological Review 48 3 630 631 a b van Aarde R J 1985 Reproduction in captive female Cape porcupines Hystrix africaeaustralis Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 75 2 577 582 doi 10 1530 jrf 0 0750577 PMID 4067934 Z Server Regular sex keeps porcupines faithful New Scientist Nov 12 1988 Qumsiyeh M B 1 January 1996 Mammals of the Holy Land Texas Tech University Press ISBN 9780896723641 External links Edit Wikispecies has information related to Hystrix indica Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hystrix indica Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Indian crested porcupine amp oldid 1134906317, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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