2/26/2024 0 Comments Indian crested porcupine predatorsIncidentally, in size, it is the third biggest rodent anywhere after the capybara and the beaver. The Indian crested porcupine is protected under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Porcupines are known to be great engineers. Related Article: 35 Animals that Look Like Porcupines. Maybe you should take a few lessons from the Indian crested porcupine which shares its burrow with 22 different species, including birds and reptiles. In some cases, the quills may even puncture the predator’s skin and enter its bloodstream, causing death. The quills are very sharp and can cause serious injury to the predator. The rodent’s density was highest in Dhoj, Badhkal, Surajkund, Tauru (Pachgaon), Khod Basai (Sahsola), Meoli (Bai Baruji), Chittora (Mahu Rawa), Jhabua, Madhogarh, Khudana and Pachnota. If a predator does attack, the porcupine will use its quills as weapons. ![]() ![]() According to a 2017 study carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), it was found that the total area occupied by porcupines was around 720 square kilometres, with 91 porcupines recorded in the Aravalis of South Haryana. “Also, it acts as a scavenger because it feeds on dead animals to fulfill its need for minerals,” he adds. The hystricomorph rodents of genus Hystrix: the crested porcupine ( H. “It is important to protect the species as it plays a vital role in seed dispersal in their respective habitat because of its herbivorous nature, which helps in maintaining a healthy ecosystem,” says Prakash. Indeed, in the guise of regulating ‘pests’, porcupines end up being hunted excessively for meat, reveals Surya Prakash, a naturalist and conservationist with a doctorate in zoology. However, the threat is not to do with its population growth, but the destruction of its habitat,” he told TOI. Also, the mammal is hunted for meat by some communities in the Aravalis. “There is a myth that porcupine’s quills, which they shed, are ‘unfortunate’ to have at home - that is why sometimes people don’t like its presence in their surroundings. Moreover, the decline in numbers can also be attributed to the myths that have come to be associated with these mammals, and which, maintains Hasrana, have led to their habitat being disturbed. , even though the population of porcupines has increased after a ban on mining was imposed in 2002, these rodents are disappearing with worrying rapidity due to urbanisation, indiscriminate use of pesticides and hunting. Martina Nicolls is the author of Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom and other books. They are also found throughout the Himalayan mountains, reaching up to elevations of 2,400 meters. The species can also be found in tropical and temperate scrublands, grasslands, and forests. The young are fully independent after two years. Habitat They can be found throughout southeast and central Asia and in parts of the Middle East. The mother stops feeding them after 13-19 weeks. The young are born with their eyes open and covered in short quills that harden a few hours after birth. The female Indian Crested Porcupine is pregnant for about 240 days, before giving birth to 1-4 live young. The male and female usually form a monogamous pair. ![]() It cannot climb or jump well, but it is a good swimmer. It is semi-fossorial, because it lives in its den for most of the time, as well as foraging along the ground at other times. Its predators include large cats, wolves, hyenas, wild dogs, and crocodiles.ĭuring the day, it remains in its burrow, den, or cave. It is mainly herbivorous, feeding on plant material and fruit. It can live in a variety of habitats, such as rocky hillsides, tropical grasslands, shrublands, forests, plantations, and gardens. The Indian Crested Porcupine is native to southern Asia and the Middle East, in countries such as Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Yemen.
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