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Cape Porcupine

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                 iCape Porcupine

                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Mammalia
   Order:   Rodentia
   Family:  Hystricidae
   Genus:   Hystrix
   Species: H. africaeaustralis

                                Binomial name

   Hystrix africaeaustralis
   Peters, 1852

   The Cape Porcupine or South African Porcupine, Hystrix
   africaeaustralis, is a species of Old World porcupine. Contrary to its
   name, this porcupine species inhabits much of sub-Saharan Africa,
   excluding the southwestern deserts of the continent. This rodent is
   nocturnal and inhabits rocky outcrops and hills. They shelter in caves
   or dens they dig themselves. Female cape porcupines are the biggest
   rodents in southern Africa, weighing more than 30 kilograms (66 pounds)
   and growing more than two feet long. The cape porcupine is covered in
   bristly quills varying in thickness. The longest spines grow as long as
   the animal's body and quills only eight inches shorter. On its tail,
   the spines are hollow to make a rattling sound to scare away predators.
   When attacked, the porcupine freezes.If cornered, it turns vicious and
   charges to stab its attacker with its quills. Otherwise, the porcupine
   may retreat into its burrow, exposing only its quills and making it
   hard to dislodge.

   Unlike most rodents, the cape porcupine is very long-lived. The oldest
   animals can be 15 to 20 years old. They are also fast to grow. Litters
   of four are nursed for four months and reach adult size in only a year.
   The cape porcupine eats mostly plant material: fruits, roots, tubers,
   bulbs, and bark. Special microorganisms in the animal's gut break down
   this tough vegetation. The porcupine has also been reported to gnaw on
   carrion and bones.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Porcupine"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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