Food Habits Atherurus africanus is mostly herbivorous but they occasionally have been observed feeding on carcasses. Their diet consists primarily of bark, roots, leaves, bulbs, fruits, and nodules. The African brush-tailed porcupine forms pair bonds before mating. This is necessary because the female acts out in aggression against a male with whom she is not familiar, raising her spikes and getting in the way of the mating process. There is no clearly defined breeding period, and up to two litters are possible each year.
Females normally give birth to one, sometimes two, young per liter.
Despite the long gestation period, the young are born very small, only three percent of the mother's body weight. Because of their small size, both parents invest a lot of energy raising the young. These animals reach sexually maturity at two years. Porcupines live in very social groups so the young typically remain with their parents throughout their lives. Behavior Atherurus africanus is strictly nocturnal, coming out to roam only when it is completely dark.