|
African brush-tailed porcupine
Atherurus africanus is found only in Africa in the countries of
Gambia, western Kenya, and southern Zaire.
The African brush-tailed porcupine spends its days hidden in caves,
crevices, or fallen trees. They prefer naturally occuring caves and
do not usually burrow out their own. A. africanus can be found in
forests, river forests, and island forests, at elevations of up to
7400 ft.
|
 |
 |
|
African brush-tailed porcupine
African brush-tailed porcupines are some of the largest rodents in
Africa, having a body length of 36.5 to 60 cm and a tail length of
10 to 26 cm. The body is long but the legs are very short and wide.
The feet are webbed and contain five digits with claws. These
animals vary in color from black to dark brown on the dorsal side
and white to light brown on the ventral. On each side of the jaw,
five teeth are present: one incisor, one premolar, and three molars.
The body of A. africanus is covered with several types of protective
spine. The softest ones appear on the head, neck, and stomach.
Flattened stiletto types spines are found on the edges of the back
with more flexible bristle type spines in the mid-region. This
species also has a yellowish brush tail with platelet type bristles
and a few very thick, long spines on the hind back.
Reproduction
The African brush-tailed porcupine forms pair bonds before mating.
This is necessary because the female acts out in aggression against
a male with whom she is not familiar, raising her spikes and getting
in the way of the mating process. There is no clearly defined
breeding period, and up to two litters are possible each year.
Females normally give birth to one, sometimes two, young per liter.
They have a very long gestation period, ranging from 100-110 days,
after which they give birth to well-developed (precocial) young. At
birth, the eyes are open, the teeth are already present, and hair
(but not spines) covers the body. Despite the long gestation period,
the young are born very small, only three percent of the mother's
body weight. Because of their small size, both parents invest a lot
of energy raising the young. Mothers nurse nearly constantly for the
first two months after birth; this is possible because the teats are
located laterally on the chest. These animals reach sexually
maturity at two years.
Porcupines live in very social groups so the young typically remain
with their parents throughout their lives. A. africanus has been
documented to live up to 23 years of age.
Behavior
Atherurus africanus is strictly nocturnal, coming out to roam only
when it is completely dark. In fact, these animals will not leave
their den on nights when the moon is too bright. Adults usually live
in families, generally around 6-8 members, which include a mating
pair and their offspring from multiple litters. These families share
runs, territories, feeding and latrine areas. Groups of families, up
to 20 individuals, often share resources and live in close proximity
to each other. These animals are mainly terrestrial but are also
good at climbing and swimming. Most of their known predators, such
as carnivoires, owls, snakes, and humans, tend to be scared away by
the presence of their spikes. When agitated, porcupines can raise
their spines, giving the appearance of a body twice its actual size;
they also rattle the tails and stomp their feet in order to further
threaten their enemies. If the predator comes close enough, A.
africanus aligns itself so its rear faces the predator. It suddenly
makes a backward attack, causing the spines to become embedded in
the enemy. The spines are released from the procupine's back and
remain stuck in the enemy.
Food Habits
Atherurus africanus is mostly herbivorous but they occasionally have
been observed feeding on carcasses. Their diet consists primarily of
bark, roots, leaves, bulbs, fruits, and nodules. These porcupines
tend to be very nervous and quick moving while hunting for food,
which they do alone. In captivity they should be offered a complete diet
of rodent lab blocks, and rat or mouse
mix, with bits of fruit or veggies regularly. Cheerios or wheat
bread are great treats, in small quantities. Do NOT feed chocolate,
fried foods, salted foods, candy or junk food! They may enjoy
crickets and mealworms if they are captive bred, never feed wild
insects as they may carry parasites. Vitamins, like Nutri-Cal are a good addition to their diet, and added calcium
during nursing and growth due to demands on their systems at those
times, but take care not to overdo it. Water bottles should be used
to proved constant, clean water. Ceramic or stoneware food dishes
work well for keeping seeds or fresh foods off the floor, and a wire
mesh hopper that allows them to eat the lab blocks through without
extra waste.
|
