{{Short description|Species of rodent}} {{More citations needed|date=April 2009}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Speciesbox | image = Hystrix cristata qtl1.jpg |image_alt=Black and white porcupine | image_caption = [[Lüneburg Heath]] wildlife park, [[Lower Saxony]], Germany | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Hystrix cristata'' |name-list-style=amp |author=Amori, G. |author2=De Smet, K. |date=2016 |article-number=e.T10746A22232484 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T10746A22232484.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | genus = Hystrix | species = cristata | authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]] | range_map = Hystrix cristata distribution map.png | range_map_caption = {{leftlegend|#D59582|range|outline=gray}} }} [[File:African Porcupine Skeleton.jpg|thumb|Skeleton, [[Museum of Osteology]]]]
The '''crested porcupine''' ('''''Hystrix cristata'''''), also known as the '''African crested porcupine''', is a species of [[rodent]] in the family [[Hystricidae]] native to [[Italy]], [[North Africa]], [[West Africa]], [[Central Africa]] and [[East Africa]].<ref name=iucn/><ref>{{MSW3 |id=13400060 |heading=Species ''Hystrix (Hystrix) cristata'' |page=1543}}</ref> Alongside the [[Cape porcupine]], it is one of the largest [[porcupine]] species in the world. It is the only species of porcupine found in Europe.
== Characteristics == {{multiple image| perrow=1|image1=Hystrix cristata 02 MWNH 157a.jpg|caption1=Skull of a crested porcupine |image2=Die vergleichende Osteologie (1821) Hystrix cristata.jpg |caption2=Skeleton}} The adult crested porcupine has an average head and body length around {{convert|60|to|83|cm|abbr=on}} long, discounting the tail, and weighs from {{convert|13|to|27|kg|abbr=on}}. It is one of the largest rodents in the world.<ref name=EoM>{{cite book|editor= Macdonald, D.|author= van Aarde, Rudi|year= 1984|title= The Encyclopedia of Mammals |publisher= Facts on File|location= New York|pages=704–705 |isbn= 978-0-87196-871-5|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/704}}</ref>
Almost the entire body is covered with bristles which are either dark brown or black and rather coarse. This [[mammal]] is recognizable by the [[porcupine#Quills|quills]] that run along the head, nape, and back that can be raised into a crest, hence the name crested porcupine. Also, some sturdier quills which are about {{convert|35|cm|abbr=on}} in length run along the sides and back half of the body. These sturdier quills are used, for the most part, for defense and are usually marked with light and dark bands which alternate; these are not firmly attached. This porcupine has a short tail which has rattle quills at the end. The rattle quills broaden at the terminal end and the broad portion is hollow with thin walls. When these quills are vibrated, they produce a hiss-like rattle, just like a [[rattlesnake]]. The front feet of the crested porcupine have four developed and [[claw]]ed digits with a regressed thumb, the rear feet have five. The paws have naked and padded soles and have a plantigrade gait. The ears are external and both the eyes and ears are very small with long [[vibrissae]] on its head. The skull is distinctive in many ways: first, the [[infraorbital foramen]] is greatly enlarged so portions of the [[masseter]] extend through it and attach from the frontal side surface of the snout; second, the angular process is inflected on the lower [[jaw]], and third, the nasal cavity is enlarged. Prominent pockets create enlarged areas of attachment for chewing [[muscle]]s. [[Collar bone]]s are very much reduced, and one [[incisor]], one [[premolar]] and three [[molar (tooth)|molars]] are present in each quadrant.<ref name="McPhee">{{cite web |last=McPhee |first=M. |year=2003 |title=Hystrix cristata |website=Animal Diversity Web |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Hystrix_cristata.html }}</ref> The male's penis is directed [[caudally]] (towards the rear end) when not erect.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Atalar |first1=O. |first2=A. O. |last2=Ceribasi |url= https://vetmed.agriculturejournals.cz/pdfs/vet/2006/02/05.pdf |title=The morphology of the penis in porcupine (''Hystrix cristata'') |journal=Veterinární Medicína |volume=51 |issue=2 |year=2006 |pages=66–70|doi=10.17221/5520-VETMED |doi-access=free}}</ref>
Crested porcupines live up to 28 years, the second-longest of any rodent after the [[naked mole-rat]], which can live in excess of 37 years.<ref name="Buffenstein Craft 2021 p. 246">{{cite book | last1=Buffenstein | first1=Rochelle | last2=Craft | first2=Wendy | series=Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology | title=The Extraordinary Biology of the Naked Mole-Rat | chapter=The Idiosyncratic Physiological Traits of the Naked Mole-Rat; a Resilient Animal Model of Aging, Longevity, and Healthspan | publisher=Springer International Publishing | publication-place=Cham | year=2021 | volume=1319 | isbn=978-3-030-65942-4 | issn=0065-2598 | doi=10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_8 | page=246| pmid=34424518 }}</ref><ref name="Ruby Smith Buffenstein 2018">{{cite journal | last1=Ruby | first1=J Graham | last2=Smith | first2=Megan | last3=Buffenstein | first3=Rochelle | title=Naked mole-rat mortality rates defy Gompertzian laws by not increasing with age | journal=eLife | publisher=eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd | volume=7 | date=January 24, 2018 | article-number=e31157 | issn=2050-084X | doi=10.7554/elife.31157 | pmid=29364116 | pmc=5783610 | doi-access=free }}</ref>
== Distribution and habitat == The crested porcupine is found in Italy, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. In the Mediterranean, it is known from mainland [[Italy]] and the island of [[Sicily]], [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], and [[Tunisia]]; they are also recorded in [[Ghana]], [[Libya]] and along the [[Egypt]]ian coast. It has been recorded from sea level to {{convert|2550|m|ft|abbr=on}} in Moroccan Anti-Atlas. [[File:Stachelschwein-drawing.jpg|thumb|North African crested porcupine (''H. cristata'') drawn by [[Gustav Mützel]]]] The crested porcupine is native to [[Algeria]], [[Benin]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Burundi]], [[Cameroon]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Chad]], [[Côte d'Ivoire]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]],<ref name="Aerts2019">{{cite book |last1=Aerts |first1=R. |chapter=Forest and woodland vegetation in the highlands of Dogu'a Tembien |editor1=Nyssen J. |editor2=Jacob, M.|editor3=Frankl, A. |title=Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District |date=2019 |publisher=SpringerNature |isbn=978-3-030-04954-6}}</ref> [[Gambia]], [[Ghana]], [[Djibouti]], [[Guinea]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Italy]], [[Kenya]], [[Liberia]], [[Libya]], [[Mali]], [[Morocco]], [[Nigeria]], [[Rwanda]], [[Senegal]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Somalia]], [[Sudan]], [[South Sudan]], [[Tanzania]], [[Togo]], [[Tunisia]] and [[Uganda]].<ref name=Masseti>{{cite journal |last1=Masseti |first1=M. |last2=Albarella |first2=U. |last3=De Grossi Mazzorin |first3=J. |name-list-style=amp |date=2010 |title=The crested porcupine, ''Hystrix cristata'' L., 1758, in Italy |url=http://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/sites/default/files/articles/pdf/az2010n2a2.pdf |journal=Anthropozoologica |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=27–42 |doi=10.5252/az2010n2a2 |s2cid=130452325}}</ref> It is [[Local extinction|locally extinct]] in [[Egypt]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Evans |first=Linda |date=2024-10-11 |title=Porcupines in ancient Egypt? A prickly problem re-assessed |url=https://bioone.org/journals/anthropozoologica/volume-59/issue-10/anthropozoologica2024v59a10/Porcupines-in-ancient-Egypt-A-prickly-problem-re-assessed/10.5252/anthropozoologica2024v59a10.full |journal=Anthropozoologica |volume=59 |issue=10 |page=143 |doi=10.5252/anthropozoologica2024v59a10 |issn=0761-3032|url-access=subscription }}</ref><!-- More information is needed to establish the presence of ''H. cristata'' in these countries; the section of the book by Long about this species is not available at Google Books ==== Presence uncertain ==== * [[Republic of the Congo]]; [[Portugal]] (introduced), [[Albania]] (introduced)<ref>LONG JL 2003. Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History, Distribution and Influence (Cabi Publishing) by John L. Long ({{ISBN|9780851997483}})</ref> -->
== Behaviour and ecology== The crested porcupine is a terrestrial mammal; it very seldom climbs trees, but can swim. It is [[nocturnal]] and [[Monogamous pairing in animals|monogamous]]. The crested porcupine takes care of the young for an extended period, and small family groups consist of the adult pair and young of various ages. In defense, when disturbed, they raise and fan their quills to make themselves look bigger. If continually bothered, the crested porcupine will stamp its feet, whirr the quills, and charge the disturber back end first trying to stab the enemy with the thicker, shorter quills. These attacks are known to have killed lions, leopards, hyenas, and even humans.<ref name="McPhee"/>
Crested porcupines have been known to collect thousands of bones that they find at night. They are mostly nocturnal, and they may come upon the [[skeletons]] of animals. <!-- These include prehistoric animals, such as ''[[Deinotherium]]''{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}. --> They collect these bones and store them in an underground chamber or cave.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Coppola |first1=F. |last2=Guerrieri |first2=D. |last3=Simoncini |first3=A. |last4=Varuzza |first4=P. |last5=Vecchio |first5=G. |last6=Felicioli |first6=A. |date=2020 |title=Evidence of scavenging behaviour in crested porcupine |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=10|issue=1|page=12297 |doi=10.1038/s41598-020-69252-z|pmid=32704027 |pmc=7378177|bibcode=2020NatSR..1012297C }}</ref>
=== Diet and digestion === The crested porcupine is for the most part [[herbivore|herbivorous]], eating roots, bulbs, and leaves, but occasionally they do consume insects, small vertebrates, and carrion. To ingest [[Calcium#Nutrition|calcium]] and sharpen incisors, they often gnaw on bones. These animals often travel long distances looking for food. They have high crowned teeth that grind plant tissues which are digested in the [[stomach]], and the undigested fibers are retained in an enlarged [[vermiform appendix|appendix]] and anterior large [[intestine]], where they are broken down by microorganisms.
=== Reproduction === Most of what is known about reproduction in the crested porcupine comes from individuals in captivity. Usually, female crested porcupines have one [[litter (animal)|litter]] every year. One or two well developed young are born in a chamber within the [[burrow]] that is usually lined with grass, after on average a 66-day [[gestation]] period. The young weigh about {{convert|1000|g|lb|abbr=on}} at birth, which is about 5% of the mother's weight. They leave the den after one week. At this time, the spines begin to harden. Crested porcupines reach adult weight at one to two years and are often [[sexual maturity|sexually mature]] just before then.<ref name="McPhee"/> [[Breeding in the wild|Breeding]] occurs throughout the year.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The mounting and copulation behaviour of the crested porcupine ''Hystrix cristata'' |year=1997 |last1=Felicioli |first1=A. |last2=Grazzini |first2=A. |last3=Santini|first3=L. |journal=Italian Journal of Zoology|volume=64 |issue=2 |pages=155–161 |doi=10.1080/11250009709356189 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
== References ==<!-- BelgJZool135:11. --> {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Wikispecies|Hystrix cristata}} {{Commons}} * [https://www.wildafrica.cz/cs/fotogalerie/dikobraz-obecny/ Picture at zoo] - WildAfrica.cz * {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719123926/http://www.archeozoo.org/IMG/png/hystrix_cristata.png |date=19 July 2011|title=An image}} * [http://stoneplus.cst.cmich.edu/zoogems/porc%20quills-HatchNecklace.jpg Traditional necklace of quills] - [[Central Michigan University]]
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[[Category:Hystrix (mammal)]] [[Category:Mammals of Africa]] [[Category:Mammals of Ethiopia]] [[Category:Mammals of Uganda]] [[Category:Fauna of Italy]] [[Category:Mammals described in 1758]] [[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]] [[Category:Rodents of Europe]]