The Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis)

Feb 21, 2016 Features / Columnists, Interesting Creatures in Guyana

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The Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) is a porcupine found in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, the Guianas, Bolivia and Trinidad, with a single record from Ecuador. It inhabits tropical forests at elevations up to 1500 m.

Brazilian porcupines are considered large with a long, muscular, prehensile tail; well adapted to live and move in trees. Adult body sizes ranges from 300 to 600 millimetres in length with the tail measuring an additional 330 to 485 millimetres. Full grown adult males and females may weigh up to 4.55 and 5 kilograms, respectively.
Little is documented on the mating system of Brazilian porcupines both in the wild and in captivity. In captive settings, there have been observed occurrences of males spraying females and their young to mark them; once usually during a suspected courtship period, and again once the young are born. After the young are born, the male may continue to mark both the adult female and the young. Females were never observed spaying males or young. Though there are times when the males and females are together, they seem to sleep and forage separately.
Though there is no breeding season, females observed in captivity have fertile postpartum estrus. They are able to copulate and conceive just 3 to 18 days after birthing a litter. After a gestation period ranging from 195 to 210 days, one young is born on the ground. The precocial young of Brazilian porcupines are born with their eyes open, tail strongly prehensile, and claws well-developed.
Despite being able to move and climb, the young does not wander far from where it is born for the first 2 to 3 weeks of life, besides climbing trees when disturbed. In addition to being born with a dense coat of guard hairs, natal quills up to 15 millimeters in length protect the young and will reach adult length after about 10 weeks.
Weaning occurs between 10 and 15 weeks. It is not known when males reach maturity, but females reach their sexual maturity at 19 months of age. The limits of the reproductive lifespan of Brazilian porcupines are unknown, but those in captivity have been documented to produce young for more than 10 years.
The young average 500 millimetres in length, from nose to tail tip, and 415 grams at birth, with no significant difference between males and females. The young have a dense covering of reddish brown guard hairs (each about 35 millimetres in length) on their heads and bodies that will later harden to quills.
Adult Brazilian porcupines have skin varying in hue from yellow-orange rust to brownish-black and are covered with long quills on the dorsal side. The yellow-orange hue is due to a pungent waxy substance exuded from the sebaceous glands of both males and females.
The semi-hollow quills are tricoloured with white tips terminating in a barbed end. This makes the 60 to 100 millimetre quills effective at penetrating the flesh of predators and difficult to remove. The prehensile tails are unspined and used for stabilization and grasping while climbing as well as a means of hanging. In addition to being very muscular, this prehensile tail has a callus pad near the ventral tip to aid in grasping branches and vines.
Another characteristic that has developed as a result of arboreal life is the specialized foot with its long-clawed digits, which are ideal for moving and foraging among trees. Brazilian porcupines have small ears, long whiskers, wide nasal openings and specialized procumbent upper incisors. The eyes are encircled by a thin band of bare skin in the coat of spines that extends all the way to the nose.
This shy, nocturnal porcupine is solitary or lives in pairs in the branches of trees. During the day it rests in a cavity in a hollow tree or in a well-shaded area of the canopy, six to 10 metres above the ground. It rarely descends to the ground, but it shows little fear if it happens to be caught. It is not aggressive, but will defend itself ferociously if attacked.
Though they mostly occupy old growth forests where trees for foraging and dwelling are abundant, they also inhabit humid mountainous highlands, riverine llanos (vast tropical grasslands), and even a few croplands.
The porcupine’s diet consists of leaves, fruit, and small fresh twigs and shoots. This creature can easily be tamed enough to be kept in captivity. Intra-specific interactions consist of biting and attempts to injure adversaries with their sharp quills. When excited, porcupines stamp their hind feet. Vocalizations consist of growls and cries. If caught, the porcupine rolls into a ball. The prehensile tail is used to curl around branches when climbing.
Brazilian porcupines have been known to live up to 27 years in captivity. Life expectancy in the wild is likely less and limited by tooth wear caused by diet.

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