Porcupine: Indian crested porcupine at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Did you know?

Hystrix indica

A porcupine’s best defense is that formidable set of quills on its back. But it can’t “throw” them. Instead, it thrusts backward to spear a predator. The quills come loose and stick into skin, eyes or mouth.

Discover Porcupines

Habitat

Wild and Zoo

Indian crested porcupines live in rocky hills, deserts and forests from Turkey to India. They’re around 2-3 feet long, but their quills can be over a foot long! Find ours in the Asian Forest Sanctuary.

Asian Forest Sanctuary

Meet the Keepers

(not prickly at all)

Keepers in our Asian Forest Sanctuary give a chat daily. Ask questions about each animal, and find out how our zoo team feeds and cares for them.

Zookeeper Life: Sam

Daily Presentations

Eating (and predators!)	Porcupines are mostly vegetarian – they eat fruits, nuts, bulbs, roots and bark. But they may chew on bones if they need extra calcium.	Their main predators are humans, tigers and other wild cats.
Porcupettes Yes, really.	After a 112-day pregnancy, females give birth to a litter of 1-3 baby porcupines, called “porcupettes”.	The babies are born with soft quills that harden after a few hours – but parents still lick their young to bond with them.
In a prickle Literally.	Did you know that a group of porcupines is called a “prickle”? But Indian crested porcupines usually forage alone, except for mothers with young.	Mostly nocturnal, they rest during the day in burrows they make themselves.

Protecting Porcupines

Living in harmony.

THE THREAT: Indian crested porcupines, like their American counterparts, are common, and not in danger as a species. In fact, in parts of Asia they are so numerous as to be considered pests, and are hunted as food.

TAKE ACTION: What native animals do we consider pests or a problem in the Northwest? Can we live in harmony with them? Read more on our sister zoo website, Northwest Trek.

Go to Northwest Trek

Asian Forest Stories

YEAR OF THE TIGER

Lunar New Year is on February 1. According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. If you were born in 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 … Continued