When these quills are vibrated, they produce a hiss-like rattle. These quills broaden at the terminal end and this section is hollow and thin-walled. The crested porcupine is distinct among Old World porcupines due to its shorter tail, averaging 8-17 centimeters or 3-7 inches, and the presence of rattle quills at the end of the tail. The Hystrix genus includes three subgenera, Thecurus, containing the thick-spined porcupine ( Hystrix crassispinis), the Philippine porcupine ( Hystrix pumila), and the Sumatran porcupine ( Hystrix sumatrae) Acanthion, containing the Malayan porcupine ( Hystrix brachyura) and the Sunda porcupine ( Hystrix javanica) and Hystrix, including the Cape porcupine ( Hystrix africaeaustralis), the Indian crested porcupine ( Hystrix indica), and the crested porcupine. Hystrix was given the name by the late 18th century Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus. Fossils belonging to the genus date back to the late Miocene of Africa. Hystrix is a genus of eight species of porcupines containing most of the Old World porcupines, only two of which are found outside of Asia. The crested porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae and the genus Hystrix. The rattle quills broaden at the terminal end and the broad portion is hollow with thin walls. The tail has a length of 8-17 centimeters (3-7 inches). The crested porcupine has a shorter tail which has rattle quills at the end. They are usually marked with light and dark bands which alternate. These sturdier quills are not firmly attached and are used, for the most part, for defense. Also, some sturdier quills which are about 35 centimeters (14 inches) in length run along the sides and back half of the body. This mammal is recognizable by the quills that run along the head, nape, and back that can be raised into a crest, hence the name crested porcupine. The male’s penis is directed caudally when not erect.Īlmost the entire body is covered with bristles which are either dark brown or black and rather coarse. The soles of the crested porcupine’s paws are naked and have padded soles, and the porcupine’s gait is plantigrade. The forefoot of the crested porcupine has four well-developed, clawed digits while the thumb is regressed. The crested porcupine’s shin and calf bones are fused and the collar bone is greatly reduced. The crested porcupine’s ears are external and both the eyes and ears are very small with long vibrissae on its head. Undigested fibers are retained in the enlarged appendix and anterior large intestine and broken down by microorganisms. Crested porcupines have high crowned teeth with plane chewing surfaces for grinding plant cells that are then digested in the stomach. One incisor, one premolar, and three molars are present in each quadrant. The crested porcupine has five teeth in each jaw. The reasons for such pockets are unknown, however they do create enlarged areas of attachment for chewing muscles and could possibly allow the animal to smell underground bulbs during dry periods or wet dry inhaled air. Prominent pocket-like inflations are prominent in the skull, upper jaw, and lacrimal and turbinate bones. The porcupine’s angular process is inflected on the lower jaw and the animal’s nasal cavity is enlarged. The crested porcupine’s infraorbital foramen is greatly enlarged so that portions of the masseter extend through it and arise from the frontal side surface of the animal’s snout, resulting in a hystricomorphous condition. The crested porcupine’s skull morphology is characteristic in several ways. Crested porcupines weigh 10-30 kilograms or 22-66 pounds. The average adult head and body length of the crested porcupine is 60-93 centimeters (24-37 inches), discounting the tail. The crested porcupine is one of the largest rodents in the world and is considered the largest porcupine.
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