Brush-tailed porcupine
Encyclopedia
The brush-tailed porcupines are a group of Old World porcupine
s in the genus Atherurus.
, but considerably more so than in Trichys. They have a prominent tuft on the tips of their tail which leads to their common name. The tail will break off easily when the animal is threatened.
The bodies are long and somewhat rat
-like. They are forest
dwellers and nocturnal. They feed on vegetation, but may take insect
s or carrion
.
The animals may live in social groups usually numbering 6-8. The longevity
record for a captive animal was almost 23 years.
Old World porcupine
The Old World porcupines, or Hystricidae, are large terrestrial rodents, distinguished by the spiny covering from which they take their name. They range over the south of Europe, most of Africa, India, and the Maritime Southeast Asia as far east as Borneo...
s in the genus Atherurus.
Characteristics
The brush-tailed porcupines have bodies covered in quills just like their new world relatives. These quills are shorter and not as visually prominent as those seen in the genus HystrixHystrix
Hystrix is a genus of porcupine that contains what are the best known and most distinctive of the Old World porcupines.-Species:*Genus Hystrix**Subgenus Thecurus***Hystrix crassispinis - Thick-spined Porcupine...
, but considerably more so than in Trichys. They have a prominent tuft on the tips of their tail which leads to their common name. The tail will break off easily when the animal is threatened.
The bodies are long and somewhat rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
-like. They are forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
dwellers and nocturnal. They feed on vegetation, but may take insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s or carrion
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
.
The animals may live in social groups usually numbering 6-8. The longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
record for a captive animal was almost 23 years.
Species
There are two species of Atherurus, an Asian and an African variety.- Genus Atherurus - brush-tailed porcupines
- Atherurus africanus - African Brush-tailed Porcupine
- Atherurus macrourus - Asiatic Brush-tailed Porcupine