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Small mammals
Cape porcupine
Cape porcupine · Hystrix africaeaustralis
Cape porcupines impress with their imposing quills and nocturnal lifestyle in southern Africa.
Fact file
- Size
- Reaches 60 to 80 centimetres in length, with quills up to 50 centimetres, and weighs 10 to 24 kilograms
- Males and females
- Males and females look very similar and are hardly distinguishable from the outside
- Sounds
- Growling, squeaking and a characteristic rattling of the tail quills when threatened
- Diet
- Feeds mainly on roots, tubers, bark, fruit and occasionally bones to obtain minerals
- Offspring
- After a gestation period of around 3 months, usually 1 to 3 young are born, already covered in soft fur
How to identify Cape porcupine
Cape porcupines have a distinctive coat of black and white quills that can grow up to 50 centimetres long. Their body appears compact and powerful, with a head that has short ears and small, dark eyes.
Characteristic features include the short, often shaggy-looking tail and a striking crest of elongated, hollow quills on the lower back. Compared to other animals, their front legs are slightly shorter than their hind legs, giving their silhouette a gently sloping shape.
More in the app
With Wildful Stories+ you also get in the app:
- general viewing tips
Where Cape porcupine live
Namibia
South Africa
Discover Cape porcupine on your trip.
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