Indian crested porcupine pictures and facts

The Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) is a rodent found throughout the Middle East and southern Asia in habitats as diverse as grasslands, forests, scrublands and mountains, though it creates underground homes for itself whatever the climate. Its lengthy claws and broad feet are designed to make digging expedient.

It is a member of the Old World Porcupines, and its coloration is brown and black with bands of white. Its habits are nocturnal, and its diet includes such items as roots, grains and fruit. While it is primarily an herbivore, it will occasionally chew on bones for added nourishment, especially calcium.

Indian porcupines can reach a size of up to 44 pounds (20 kg) and more than three feet (91 centimeter). They typically have litters of 2 to 4 pups, with up to two litters a year. Following a gestation period of about 120 days, the pups are born with soft quills, and their eyes are open from the beginning. Adult males are called boars, while the females are sows and a group is known as a prickle. While they usually live with at least one other porcupine, they generally forage for food on their own.

Because of their fierce defensive instincts and sharp quills, predators tend to avoid porcupines, but their natural enemies include leopards and tigers, while