Our two porcupines at the sanctuary! Little Dude the African crested porcupine and Prickles the prehensile tailed porcupine! The African crested porcupine is a large, ground dwelling rodent native to Africa, covered in long, sharp quills that can reach over a foot in length and raised into a crest when threatened. It relies on its size and quills for defense and lives mainly on the ground, feeding on roots, tubers, and bark. In contrast, the prehensile-tailed porcupine is smaller, tree-dwelling,

Fun porcupine facts: 1) A family of porcupines is called a prickle. 2) The Latin translation of porcupine is “porcus,” meaning pig, and “spina,” meaning thorn. 3) Porcupine quills may be as dense as 150 quills per square inch. #FingerPrickingGood | San Diego Zoo Safari Park