New World porcupine

New World porcupine
New World Porcupines
Temporal range: Late Oligocene–Recent
North American Porcupine
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Suborder: Hystricomorpha
Infraorder: Hystricognathi
Parvorder: Caviomorpha
Family: Erethizontidae
Bonaparte, 1845
Genera

 Erethizon
 Coendou
 Sphiggurus
 Echinoprocta
 Chaetomys

The New World porcupines, or Erethizontidae, are large arboreal rodents, distinguished by the spiny covering from which they take their name. They inhabit forests and wooded regions across North America, and into northern South America. Although both the New World and Old World porcupine families belong to the Hystricognathi branch of the vast order Rodentia, they are quite different and are not closely related.

Contents

Characteristics

New World porcupines are stout animals, with blunt rounded heads, fleshy mobile snouts, and coats of thick cylindrical or flattened spines ("quills"). The spines are mixed with long soft hairs. They vary in size from the relatively small prehensile-tailed porcupines, which are around 30 cm (12 in) long, and weigh about 900 g (32 oz), to the much larger North American Porcupine, which has a body length of 86 cm (34 in), and weighs up to 18 kg (40 lb).[1]

They are distinguished from the Old World porcupines in that they have rooted molars, complete collar-bones, entire upper lips, tuberculated soles, no trace of a first front-toe, and four teats.

They are less strictly nocturnal than Old World species in their habits, and some types live entirely in trees while others have dens on the ground. Their long and powerful prehensile tails help them balance when they are in the tree tops. Their diet consists mainly of bark, leaves and conifer needles but can also include roots, stems, berries, fruits, seeds, nuts, grasses and flowers. Some species also eat insects and small reptiles.[2] Their teeth are similar to those of Old World porcupines, with the dental formula Upper: 1.0.1.3, lower: 1.0.1.3

Solitary offspring (or, rarely, twins) are born after a gestation period of up to 210 days, depending on the species. The young are born fully developed, with open eyes, and are able to climb trees within a few days of birth.[1]

Species

They include four genera, of which the first is represented by the North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), a stout, heavily built animal, with long hairs almost or quite hiding its spines, four front and five hind-toes, and a short, stumpy tail. It is a native of the greater part of Canada and the United States, wherever there is any remnant of the original forest left.

The tree porcupines (Coendou, Sphiggurus, and Echinoprocta) contain 16 species. They are found throughout tropical South America, with two extending into Mexico. They are of a lighter build than the ground porcupines, with short, close, many-coloured spines, often mixed with hairs, and prehensile tails. The hind-feet have only four toes, owing to the suppression of the first, in place of which they have a fleshy pad on the inner side of the foot; between this pad and the toes, branches and other objects can be firmly grasped as with a hand. These three genera are often united into a single genus Coendou.

Genus Chaetomys, distinguished by the shape of its skull and the greater complexity of its teeth, contains C. subspinosus, a native of the hottest parts of Brazil. This animal is often considered a member of the Echimyidae on the basis of its premolar.

Classification

References

  1. ^ a b Woods, Charles (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 686–689. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 
  2. ^ Macdonald (Ed), Professor David W. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-920608-2. 

External links



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Look at other dictionaries:

  • New World porcupine — noun arboreal porcupine • Hypernyms: ↑porcupine, ↑hedgehog • Hyponyms: ↑Canada porcupine, ↑Erethizon dorsatum • Member Holonyms: ↑Erethizontidae, ↑family Erethiz …   Useful english dictionary

  • Old World porcupine — Old World porcupines Temporal range: Early Miocene–Recent …   Wikipedia

  • Porcupine — Taxobox name = Porcikupines| image caption = North American Porcupine regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Rodentia subordo = Hystricomorpha subdivision ranks = General subdivision = Family Erethizontidae : Coendou :… …   Wikipedia

  • porcupine — /pawr kyeuh puyn /, n. any of several rodents covered with stiff, sharp, erectile spines or quills, as Erethizon dorsatum of North America. [1375 1425; late ME porcupyne, var. of porcapyne; r. porke despyne < MF porc d espine thorny pig. See PORK …   Universalium

  • porcupine — [pôr′kyə pīn΄] n. pl. porcupines or porcupine [ME porkepyn < MFr porc espin, spinous hog, spine hog < OIt porcospino < L porcus, pig (see FARROW1) + SPINE] any of a terrestrial Old World family (Hystricidae) or an arboreal New World… …   English World dictionary

  • porcupine — noun (plural porcupines; also porcupine) Etymology: Middle English porke despyne, from Middle French porc espin, from Old Italian porcospino, from Latin porcus pig + spina spine, prickle Date: 15th century any of various relatively large slow… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • porcupine — noun a large rodent with defensive spines or quills on the body and tail. [Families Hystricidae (Old World) and Erethizontidae (New World).] Origin ME: from OFr. porc espin, from Provençal porc espi(n), from L. porcus pig + spina thorn …   English new terms dictionary

  • porcupine — por•cu•pine [[t]ˈpɔr kyəˌpaɪn[/t]] n. mam any large rodent of the New World family Erethizontidae or the Old World family Hystricidae, having stiff, sharp, erectile spines or quills • Etymology: 1375–1425; late ME porcupyne, porcapyne, ME porke… …   From formal English to slang

  • Roosmalen's Dwarf Porcupine — Conservation status Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)[1] …   Wikipedia

  • North American Porcupine — Temporal range: Late Pliocene Recent BioDome, Montreal Conservation status …   Wikipedia

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