Identification
Body Length: 635 – 725 mm. Tail Length: 64 – 114 mm. Weight: 20 – 27 kg. Large size, with short ears and tail.
The coat is black or dark brown. The back has stiff, sharp, long quills, that project backwards. The base of the quills are white, and interspersed with pairs with black rings. The mane is long, 30 – 60 mm, and dark brown.
Biology and Ecology
This species can adapt to various environments, from primary forests to degraded forests. They sleep during the day in self-dug burrows, the entrances of which are often concealed by dense vegetation. They forage at night. Their diet consists of plant roots, bamboo shoots, tree bark, fallen fruit, animal bones, and discarded deer and muntjac antlers. They often bring animal bones or antlers into their burrows to gnaw on, preventing their incisors from overgrowing.
When threatened, the porcupine displays threatening behavior by stamping its feet, erecting its quills, and wagging its tail to create a loud sound. If this fails to deter the threat, it will retreat. If pursued, it will run quickly, then suddenly stop, causing the attacker to be impaled by its quills.
Porcupines shake their tails continuously, causing the quills to collide and make noise. Research suggests that tail-shaking demonstrates their dominance. They give birth to litters of 2-3 young. In captivity, they can live for over 27 years.
Distribution
Nepal, India, Bhutan, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, and Vietnam. In Vietnam, this species is distributed throughout various forest types from North to South, at an average altitude below 2,000 m.
Value
A valuable species, with importance in the ecosystem and for scientific research. It also has value as a display animal in parks and zoos.
Conservation Status
In Vietnam, although the species has a wide distribution in some forest areas, their population is very small and declining due to hunting, trapping, and deforestation. Conservation measures are needed in the wild, as well as organized captive breeding programs.