---
title: "What the sources say about the African Crested Porcupine | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "53 claims from the African Crested Porcupine profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the African Crested Porcupine (*Hystrix cristata*)

> 53 claims from the African Crested Porcupine profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [African Crested Porcupine](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/crested-porcupine/)

## Hystrix cristata (North African crested porcupine). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Hystrix_cristata/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| turns its back on a threat | charge the enemy, back end first |
| rattles a tail of hollow quills | These quills broaden at the terminal end and this section is hollow and thin walled, so a hisslike rattle is produced by their vibration |
| charges backward to stab anything that ignores the warning | If the disturbance continues, they stamp their feet, whirr quills and charge the enemy, back end first, attempting to stab |
| it can weigh up to 30 kilograms (66 pounds) | 10 to 30 kg 22.03 to 66.08 lb |
| It spends its nights foraging in forests, rocky areas, mountains and croplands | found in forests, rocky areas, mountains, croplands, and sandhill deserts (note: ADW's Terrestrial Biomes tags for the species are savanna/grassland, forest and mountains; rocky hillsides paraphrases rocky areas and mountains) |
| It spends its nights foraging | They are also strictly nocturnal |
| gnawing on roots and bark | eats bark, roots, tubers, rhizomes, bulbs, fallen fruits and cultivated crops |
| its days sheltering in caves, rock crevices or burrows it digs itself | They shelter in caves, rock crevices, aardvark holes, or burrows they dig themselves |
| When disturbed, the porcupine raises and fans its quills to look bigger | When disturbed, they raise and fan quills to create an illusion of greater size |
| If the disturbance continues, it stamps its feet | If the disturbance continues, they stamp their feet, whirr quills and charge the enemy, back end first |
| vibrates the hollow, broad-tipped quills at the end of its tail into a hissing rattle | the presence of rattle quills at the end of the tail ... These quills broaden at the terminal end and this section is hollow and thin walled, so a hisslike rattle is produced by their vibration |
| the porcupine charges backward, trying to stab the attacker with its thicker, shorter quills | they stamp their feet, whirr quills and charge the enemy, back end first, attempting to stab with the thicker, shorter quills |
| Attacks like this are known to have killed lions, leopards, hyenas and people | Such attacks have been known to kill lions, leopard, hyenas, and humans |
| the crested porcupine eats mostly plants: bark, roots, tubers, rhizomes, bulbs and fallen fruit | Hystrix cristata is an herbivore that eats bark, roots, tubers, rhizomes, bulbs, fallen fruits and cultivated crops |
| farm crops such as corn, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and cassava | eat corn, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, cassava, and young cotton plants |
| It occasionally eats insects, small vertebrates and carrion too | They occasionally consume insects, small vertebrates and carrion |
| The crop raids make it a target for farmers | They are poached for food and killed because they are considered an agricultural pest |
| its meat is considered a delicacy | The meat of these animals is considered a delicacy |
| this one also gnaws on bones, for calcium and to keep its teeth sharp | they commonly gnaw on bones for calcium and to sharpen incisors |
| Forests, rocky areas, mountains, croplands and sandhill deserts | found in forests, rocky areas, mountains, croplands, and sandhill deserts (note: range from Trucchi 2016 (Senegal to Ethiopia and Tanzania; North Africa; introduced to Italy), covered by the body claims) |
| Roots, tubers, bulbs, bark, and agricultural crops such as corn, pumpkin and cassava | eats bark, roots, tubers, rhizomes, bulbs, fallen fruits and cultivated crops |
| Reverse charge that stabs an attacker with its thicker, shorter quills | they stamp their feet, whirr quills and charge the enemy, back end first, attempting to stab with the thicker, shorter quills |
| One or two, according to the Animal Diversity Web, and they arrive well developed | one to two well developed offspring are born |
| Their eyes are open at birth or soon after, and their front teeth have already broken through | At birth or shortly afterward, the young's eyes are open and incisors are completely broken through |
| if a disturbance continues, stamps its feet, whirrs its quills and charges back end first | If the disturbance continues, they stamp their feet, whirr quills and charge the enemy, back end first (note: vibe.reason (women artists, round 2)) |
| hollow quills at the end of its tail make a hiss-like rattle | the presence of rattle quills at the end of the tail ... These quills broaden at the terminal end and this section is hollow and thin walled, so a hisslike rattle is produced by their vibration (note: vibe.reason (women artists, round 2)) |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | Such attacks have been known to kill lions, leopard, hyenas, and humans (note: task #686; Deadly is 'Capable of killing a human'. ADW cites Nowak 1991 (Walker's Mammals of the World), and the page's own prose already says the charge has killed people) |

## Porcupine. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/porcupine

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The world's longest porcupine | Length: Largest - North African crested porcupine Hystrix cristata, up to 36 inches (90 centimeters) (note: SDZ lists this under Length, so the page says longest, not largest) |
| the longest of the world's porcupine species, reaching up to 90 centimeters (36 inches) | Length: Largest - North African crested porcupine Hystrix cristata, up to 36 inches (90 centimeters) (note: SDZ lists this under Length, so the page says longest, not largest) |
| A crested porcupine cannot launch its quills through the air | Porcupines cannot shoot their quills! |
| Quills are modified hairs made of keratin, the same material as human hair and fingernails | Quills are just modified hairs made out of keratin, the same substance found in our own hair and fingernails |
| A crest of black-and-white banded quills runs from the top of its head to its shoulders | Old World crested porcupines have back quills that can stand up into a crest ... The crest starts from the top of the head and goes down to the shoulders. ... Each quill is marked with black and white bands |
| a skirt of long, bendy quills can make it look two to three times its size | These long, pliable quills act as guard hairs and form a "skirt." When threatened, the skirt can be erected, making the porcupine appear two to three times bigger |
| All porcupines have sharp, chisel-like front teeth | All porcupines have a great sense of smell. To make quick work of available food, these herbivores have sharp, chisel-like front teeth |
| raised quills that can make it look two to three times bigger | When threatened, the skirt can be erected, making the porcupine appear two to three times bigger |
| The Greek philosopher Aristotle warned that a porcupine could "shoot its deadly needlelike darts" over great distances at hunters and dogs | The philosopher Aristotle warned of the dangers of getting too close to a porcupine: the quilled beast could "shoot its deadly needlelike darts" over great distances at hunters and dogs alike |
| When a porcupine shakes, loose quills can fly off, but without deadly force | when the porcupine shakes, loose quills can fly off (but without deadly force) |

## Hystrix cristata. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Hystrix_cristata

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| One wild-born porcupine lived to about 28 years old in captivity, making it one of the longest-lived rodents | One wild born specimen was about 28 years old when it died in captivity ... making it one of the longest-lived rodents |
| weightKg: 20 | Adult weight 20,000 g (note: task #686; AnAge adult average. ADW's 10 to 30 kg range sits inside the engine's Medium class (10 to 100 kg) throughout. Not in a curated matchup) |

## Trucchi et al. (2016). Long live the alien. Molecular Ecology.

https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13698

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia and Tanzania, and to North Africa | the extant populations in North Africa are currently declining ... the species still commonly occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia and Tanzania |
| Italy's porcupines were brought in | The crested porcupine, Hystrix cristata, was historically introduced to Italy (Italian peninsula and Sicily) |
| A genetic study of three mitochondrial genes pointed to Tunisia as the most likely source and estimated that they arrived between 2,500 and 1,500 years ago | a genetic survey based on three mitochondrial genes identified the most likely source in North Africa (i.e. Tunisia) and estimated the introduction event between 2500 and 1500 years ago |
| very likely brought over by the Ancient Romans as an exotic pet and a delicacy for banquets | Ancient Romans very likely brought this animal from North Africa as an exotic pet for their villas and as a delicacy for their banquets |
| A 2016 study found that their range in Italy had expanded dramatically over the previous 40 to 50 years | Records of the distribution of the porcupine in Italy reveal a dramatic range expansion in the last 40-50 years |
| they crossed the Apennines, passed the Po river and reached the southern edge of the Alps | the invasive population crossed the Apennines and colonized the eastern side of the Italian peninsula, passing the Po river in the Padana plain and getting as far north as the southern edge of the Alps |
| native populations in North Africa were declining under heavy human pressure and a drying climate | the extant populations in North Africa are currently declining due to intense anthropic pressure ... and the ongoing aridification of the region |

## Coppola et al. (2020). Evidence of scavenging behaviour in crested porcupine. Scientific Reports.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69252-z

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| From June to August 2019, researchers put out pigeon carcasses with corn at seven study sites and near two traps, and recorded adult crested porcupines, at least one of them female, scavenging on four occasions | From June to August 2019, a pigeon carcass was placed together with corn in 7 study settlements and near 2 monitored capture-traps ... Scavenging behaviour was recorded on four occasions. All the recorded individuals were adults and at least one was female |
| Until then, the study says, only the Cape porcupine had been seen eating carrion | Among porcupine species, only the Cape porcupine ( Hystrix africaeaustralis ) has been observed to consume carrion flesh |
| Mostly plants, but not always. | This demonstrates that the crested porcupine occasionally does eat flesh |

## Ori et al. (2018). Crested porcupines (Hystrix cristata): mycophagist spore dispersers of the ectomycorrhizal truffle Tuber aestivum.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-018-0840-1

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Researchers found spores of the truffle Tuber aestivum in crested porcupine droppings at a truffle ground in L'Aquila, Italy | we report our research on the occurrence of Tuber aestivum spores in porcupine's faecal contents in a truffière in L'Aquila, Italy |
| a few had germinated | A few truffle spores had germinated within the faeces |
| Truffles grow underground and cannot release their spores on their own, so they depend on the animals that eat them to spread the spores | Truffles, as hypogeous, ectomycorrhizal fungi, have no means to actively discharge spores into the environment and thus depend on mycophagists for spore dispersal |

## Gazzard & Mori (2024). Hystrix cristata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T10746A226926731.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2024-2.rlts.t10746a226926731.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC) |