page_title: Porcupine
section_title: Classification
hierarchical_section_title: Porcupine / Classification
caption_attribution_description: English: A porcupine eating grass and clover.
context_page_description: Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predators. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family Erethizontidae. Both families belong to the infraorder Hystricognathi within the profoundly diverse order Rodentia and display superficially similar coats of quills: despite this, the two groups are distinct from each other and are not closely related to each other within the Hystricognathi.
  The Old World porcupines live in southern Europe, Asia, and most of Africa. They are large, terrestrial, and strictly nocturnal. In taxonomic terms, they form the family Hystricidae.
  The New World porcupines are indigenous to North America and northern South America. They live in wooded areas and can climb trees, where some species spend their entire lives. They are less strictly nocturnal than their Old World relatives, and generally smaller. In taxonomic terms, they form the family Erethizontidae.
  Most porcupines are about 60–90 cm long, with a 20–25 cm long tail. Weighing 5–16 kg, they are rounded, large, and slow, and use aposematic strategy of defence.
context_section_description: Porcupines are distributed into two evolutionarily independent groups within the suborder Hystricomorpha of the Rodentia.
  Infraorder Hystricognathi
  Family Hystricidae: Old World porcupines
  African brush-tailed porcupine, Atherurus africanus
  Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine, Atherurus macrourus
  Crested porcupine, Hystrix cristata
  Cape porcupine, Hystrix africaeaustralis
  Indian porcupine, Hystrix indicus
  Malayan porcupine, Hystrix brachyura
  Himalayan porcupine, Hystrix (brachyura) hodgsoni
  Sunda porcupine, Hystrix javanica
  Sumatran porcupine, Hystrix (Thecurus) sumatrae
  Thick-spined porcupine, Hystrix (Thecurus) crassispinis
  Philippine porcupine, Hystrix (Thecurus) pumilis
  Long-tailed porcupine, Trichys fasciculata
  Parvorder Phiomorpha sensu stricto
  Family Thryonomyidae: cane rats
  Family Petromuridae: Dassie rats
  Family Bathyergidae: African mole-rats
  Parvorder Caviomorpha
  Superfamily Erethizontoidea
  Family Erethizontidae: New World porcupines
  Brazilian porcupine, Coendou prehensilis
  Bicolored-spined porcupine, Coendou bicolor
  Andean porcupine, Coendou quichua
  Black dwarf (Koopman's) porcupine, Coendou nycthemera (koopmani)
  Rothschild's porcupine, Coendou rothschildi
  Santa Marta porcupine, Coendou sanctemartae
  Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine, Coendou mexicanus
  Paraguaian hairy dwarf porcupine, Coendou spinosus
  Bahia porcupine, Coendou insidiosus
  Brown hairy dwarf porcupine, Coendou vestitus
  Streaked dwarf porcupine, Coendou ichillus
  Black-tailed hairy dwarf porcupine, Coendou melanurus
  Roosmalen's dwarf porcupine, Coendou roosmalenorum
  Frosted hairy dwarf porcupine, Coendou pruinosus
  Stump-tailed porcupine, Coendou rufescens
  North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum
  Bristle-spined porcupine, Chaetomys subspinosus (sometimes considered an echimyid)
  Superfamily Cavioidea
  Family Hydrochaeridae: capybara
  Family Caviidae: Guinea-pigs
  Family Dasyproctidae: agoutis and acouchis
  Superfamily Octodontoidea
  Family Abrocomidae: chinchilla-rats
  Family Octodontidae: degus
  Family Ctenomyidae: tuco-tucos
  Family Echimyidae: spiny rats
  Family Myocastoridae: nutrias
  Family Capromyidae: hutias
  Superfamily Chinchilloidea
  Family Chinchillidae: chinchillas and allies
  Family Dinomyidae: pacaranas
caption: North American porcupine eating grass and clover
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