Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Rodentia
Scientific Name:
Coendou prehensilis
Range:
Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Bolivia and Trinidad
Habitat:
Forests
Diet:
Wild: Leaves, tender stems, fruits, blossoms and roots
Zoo: Monkey chow, apple, carrot, yam, lettuce, banana, grapes
Gestation:
Approximately 203 days
Litter:
1
Description:
This is the smallest of the porcupines. The body is covered with short, thick, loosely attached quills, which are used as a defense mechanism, becoming easily imbedded in the flesh of animals that disturb them. The long, prehensile tail lacks spines. The lower surface of the terminal part of the tail is naked and modified for direct contact in coiling about branches. Each limb has four digits, each of which is armed with a long, curved claw.Prehensile tailed porcupines are principally both arboreal and nocturnal. Slow in their movements, they are sure-footed climbers and use their tails in conjunction with their hands and feet. They prefer sleeping in tangled vegetation among the treetops. These porcupines are pugnacious; they bite and try to hit an adversary with their spines. They have also been observed to stamp their hind feet when excited and to roll into a ball if caught in the open.Females usually mate immediately upon giving birth. Infants are born with their eyes open and "ready to go." Quills are soft at birth and harden in about a week. Weaning occurs at 10 weeks and adult size is reached at 48 weeks.
Where in the Zoo?
I can be found in the following locations at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo:
|
