The Indian crested porcupine is known among the other Hystrix species for its ability to produce an especially loud rattle with its quills. This species has a short, high head that features a prominent mane of quills on its head and neck that can be up to 40 centimeters long and which the animal can raise into a tall, threatening crest immediately. Its sides and back are covered with thick, cylindrical spines and its tail is layered with white, shorter quills. Each of the porcupine's feet is broad and has a thick, well-developed claw for digging burrows and finding food.

Recorded in Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean through southwest and central Asia (including Afghanistan and Turkmenistan) to Pakistan, India, Nepal, China and Sri Lanka. In the Himalayan mountains they reach altitudes of up to 2400 meters (Gurung and Singh 1996).

The Indian porcupine (Hystrix indica) is found throughout southeast and central Asia and in parts of the Middle East, including such countries as India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Israel, Iran and Saudia Arabia.

Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native )

3 records.

Localized (NE Sinai). AOO = 8.4 km². 2 locations.

Narrow (Eastern Mediterranean to India & Nepal).

On average, the Indian porcupine's head and body measure 70-90 centimeters (cm) in length, with the tail adding an additional 8-10 cm (Prater 1965). Its hair is highly modified to form multiple layers of spines. Beneath the longer, thinner spines lies a layer of shorter and thicker ones. Each quill is brown or black in color, with alternating bands of white. Spines vary in length, with the neck and shoulder quills being the longest, measuring 15 to 30 cm (Gurung and Singh 1996). The tail is covered with with shorter spines that appear white in color. Among these, are longer, hollow, rattling quills that are used to alarm potential predators (Ellerman 1961). The feet and hands are broad, with long claws that are used for burrowing.

Range mass: 11 to 18 kg.

Head and body length: 70-90 cm. Tail length: 8-10 cm.

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial

The Indian porcupine is highly adaptable to multiple environments. Although they usually favor rocky hill sides, the species can also be found in tropical and temperate scrublands, grasslands, and forests. They are also found throughout the Himalayan mountains, reaching up to elevations of 2400 meters (Gurung and Singh 1996).

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest ; mountains

This species prefers to live on rock-strewn hillsides to as high as 2,400 meters, but can adapt to just about any environment. They also make homes in scrublands where trees are sparse and in grasslands and forests. Like most of the porcupine species, the Indian crested shelters in caves, crevices, or burrows they or other animals have dug. When used for a period of time, their burrows become quite complex, with multiple entrances, chambers, and exits.

The main food source for the Indian porcupine is vegetable material of all kinds, including fruits, grains, and roots (Prater 1965). They have also been known to chew on bones, in search of minerals (such as calcium) that help their spines grow (Gurung and Singh 1996, Prater 1965). The species utilizes both natural plants and agricultural crops as food sources.

Plant Foods: roots and tubers

Primary Diet: herbivore (Lignivore, Eats sap or other plant foods)

The Indian crested porcupine eats human-grown crops of almost all kinds, in addition to wild vegetation, carrion, small bugs and mammals, and bones or antlers. Except when parents are teaching their young to forage, the search for food is usually solitary. They seem to prefer wandering along roads or tracks, and have been observed traveling more than nine miles in a single nighttime foraging trip.

Females carry their young for an average of 112 days before giving birth, usually in February or March, in a grass-lined nest to a litter of one to four pups. Most females have only one litter per breeding season. Adults form monogamous pairs and both care for the young during the three-and-a-half–month nursing period. Up to fifteen members of a family group will share one burrow.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 27.1 years.

Maximum longevity: 27.1 years (captivity) Observations: One captive female lived more than 27.1 years in captivity (Richard Weigl 2005).

Gestation for the species, on average, lasts 240 days (Gurung and Singh 1996). Brood size varies, ranging from2 to 4 offspring per year (Prater 1965). Young are born with their eyes open, and the body is covered by short soft quills. The Indian porcupine is usually monogamous, with both parents being found in the burrow with their offspring throughout the year.

Average gestation period: 113 days.

Average number of offspring: 2.

Throughout its range, the Indian porcupine is common and does not face a significant threat towards its continued existence (Gurung and Singh 1996). Its adaptability to a wide range of habitats and food types helps insure their healthy populations.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Accidental?

Not assessed (not resident).

Very rare.

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

Conservation Actions

The Indian porcupine uses crop plants extensively as a food resource, thus leading to a significant loss for agriculture. In addition, the species can be extremely destructive to gardens and landscaping, as they burrow through or consume the resources in these areas.

Indian porcupines can cause some medical problems as well, with the possibility that humans or, more significantly, pets may come into contact with their quills.

Throughout its range, the Indian porcupine is hunted as a food source (Gurung and Singh 1996). Also, its role as a herbivore may allow it to help with the spread of seeds and pollen.

Positive Impacts: food