Hystricidae, from Latin hystrix (“porcupine”), in reference to the fact that these animals are porcupines.

Common names of members

Old World porcupines.

Distribution  

South of Europe, Africa and Southern and Southeast Asia.

Size

Across species, they range in size from 27.9 to 48 cm in length and 1.5 to 2.3 kg in weight to 60 to 83 cm in length and 13 to 27 kg in weight.

Morphology

They are large, robust creatures with big, blunt heads, fleshy, movable snouts, and thick, cylindrical or flattened spine coats that cover their entire body and do not mix with regular hairs.

Habitat & Ecology

Savannas, mountains, deserts, and forests.

Diet

Usually herbivorous, they consume fruit, roots, and bulbs. Certain species also chew on dehydrated bones, possibly to obtain calcium. 

Reproduction 

Depending on the species, one, two, or occasionally three offspring are born following a gestation period ranging from ninety to eleven days. Usually, females give birth just once a year in a burrow system's grass-lined underground chamber. The young are nearly fully formed when they are born, and their initially soft spines harden a few hours after birth. It takes them two weeks to start taking solid food, but it takes them 13 to 19 weeks to be completely weaned. The young live in the colony with their parents and siblings from different litters until they are sexually mature, which happens at the age of two. Men especially assist in protecting the colony from outsiders, however both sexes are hostile to strangers.

Species known in Hong Kong

1

Total species known

11

Species in the collection

2

Species in Hong Kong

1

Reference

Macdonald, D. W. (2006). The Encyclopedia of mammals. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199206087.001.0001.

Savage, R. J. G., Long, M. R. (1986). Mammal Evolution: an illustrated guide. Facts on File.

Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press.