The Cape Porcupine is a very unique looking creature. This animal can get very imitated you ever to get close to it. Philosopher Aristotle warned people that if you were ever to get close to a porcupine it would be highly dangerous.

 

A cape porcupine female is the biggest rodents in South Africa, weighing more than 66pounds, growing more than 2ft long. The males are 52.8 pounds, and 3ft long.

The quills are white and black tips, and spines cover the flakes. Their head carries a crest of flexible black spines with white tips. The rest of the body has coarse black hair with shading of an older brown. It raises its quills to make itself seem larger, and makes a rattling noise to scare away predators. When it is attacked it freezes up and corners itself then chargers to stab predator with its sharp quills.

 

The Hystrix africaeustralis is found in the mountains of Saharan, Africa. They are very rare to be found in dry desserts, or forests. They prefer in rocky hills and out crops. There shelter is in caves, they can build their dens up to 65.6ft, and 6.6ft long. They do well in their habitat because of their warm fur.

 Till this day there are 97males, 117 females, and the rest are unknown in Southeast, Africa. The cape porcupine has many predators. They are wolfs, coyotes, owls, badgers, us humans, lions, hyenas, and vultures eat them killed.

 

Cape Porcupines are mostly vegetarians. They get roots from using their strong, sharp claws. It is very fond of fruits, and sometimes will gnaw on bark. They might even eat carrion in some instances. To find their food they sniff for it with their butt. Sometimes they have large piles of bones in their dens they feed off on. Some cape porcupines eat insects to.

 

In conclusion, this very unique broad looking creature will always be talked about all over the world.

 

Author: Breanna D
Published: 02/2011