Malayan porcupine

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia
Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We need your support to keep the flame of knowledge burning bright! Our hosting server bill is due on June 1st, and without your help, Bharatpedia faces the risk of shutdown. We've come a long way together in exploring and celebrating our rich heritage. Now, let's unite to ensure Bharatpedia continues to be a beacon of knowledge for generations to come. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Together, let's preserve and share the essence of Bharat.

Thank you for being part of the Bharatpedia family!
Please scan the QR code on the right to donate.

0%

   

transparency: ₹0 raised out of ₹100,000 (0 supporter)



Malayan porcupine
Hystrix brachyura, Malayan porcupine.jpg
Hystrix brachyura, Malayan porcupine - Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand
Scientific classification edit
: [[Template:Taxonomy/Hystrix]]
Species:
Binomial name
Template:Taxonomy/HystrixHystrix brachyura
Subspecies

H. b. brachyura
H. b. subcristata
H. b. hodgsoni
H. b. punungensis (extinct)[2]
H. b. yunnanensis Anderson, 1878
H. b. bengalensis Blyth, 1851[3]

Hystrix brachyura distribution map.png

The Malayan porcupine or Himalayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae.[4] Three subspecies are extant in South and Southeast Asia.

Geographical distribution[edit]

The Malayan porcupine ranges from Nepal through north-east India (Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland), to Bangladesh, central and southern China (Xizang, Hainan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Hunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Fujian, Jianxi, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Gansu), throughout Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, through Peninsular Malaysia, to Singapore, Sumatra (Indonesia) and throughout Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia, Sarawak[5] and Brunei). It is also present on the island of Penang, Malaysia. It can be found from sea level to at least 1,300 m asl.[1]

Evolution[edit]

This species and their close relatives are believed, based on their current distribution, to have originated in southern Asia. They likely have a common ancestor from the Late Pleistocene when Sumatra, Borneo, and Palawan were part of Sundaland.[citation needed]

Habitat and ecology[edit]

Malayan porcupines are terrestrial and usually to be found in small groups in various types of forest habitats, as well as open areas near forests: they may also stray into nearby agricultural areas. They often inhabit dens they have found near rocky areas or in the holes of trees or root systems. They may also dig out and live in burrows, from which a network of trails penetrate into surrounding habitat. They can be found in all forest types up to 1500 m altitude.[6]

Female porcupines have a gestation period of 110 days and a litter size of two or three. The species may give birth to two litters annually.[1]

Characteristics[edit]

It is a large and stout-bodied rodent covered with quills which are sharp, rigid structures. The quills are modified hair.[6] Those on their upper body parts are rough with black with white or yellow stripes. The young's soft quills become hard as they enter adulthood. They have short, stocky legs covered in brown hairs which have four claws on the front and five on the hind legs. Both front and hind legs have smooth soles.[citation needed] The head and body measurement are around 56-74 cm and the tail is about 6–11 cm. They weigh around 10 kg-18 kg.[7]

Diet[edit]

They normally feed on roots, tubers, bark and fallen fruits. They also eat carrion, insects, and large tropical seeds such as belonging to Chisocheton cumingianus.

Behaviour[edit]

H. brachyura forages at night and rests during the day. It may be found singly or in pairs. It can also swim and gnaw. The sow usually delivers a single pup at a time, but delivering two pups has also been recorded. The gestation period is about 90 to 112 days. Their maximum longevity is about 27 years.

Conservation and economic importance[edit]

IUCN has categorized this species as Least Concern. The quills of the Malayan porcupine are used for ornamental purposes.[citation needed] Porcupines are also hunted for meat and traditional medicines.[citation needed]

Gallery[edit]

Two Himalayan crestless porcupines in a seed plot in Arunachal Pradesh, India

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lunde, D.; Aplin, K. & Molur, S. (2016). "Hystrix brachyura". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T10749A115099298. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T10749A22232129.en. Retrieved 3 November 2020. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |errata= ignored (help){{cite iucn}}: error: |doi= / |page= mismatch (help)
  2. Weers, D.J. van. (2003) The porcupine Hystrix (Acanthion) brachyura punungensis subsp. nov. from Late Pleistocene fissure deposits near Punung, Java. Scripta Geologica, 126: 217-225 PDF
  3. Van Weers, D.J. (2005). "A taxonomic revision of the Pleistocene Hystrix (Hystricidae, Rodentia) from Eurasia with notes on the evolution of the family". Contributions to Zoology. 74 (3/4).
  4. Template:MSW3 Hystricognathi
  5. Azlan J, M & Engkamat, L (2006) Camera trapping and conservation in Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology54(2) pp. 469-475 PDF Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  6. 6.0 6.1 Parr J W.K, (2003).East Asian Porcupine Hystrix Brachyura: From Systematic, A Guide to the Large Mammals of Thailand (144).Bangkok: Sarakadee Press
  7. Smith, Andrew; Xie, Yan (2010). A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press. p. 165.

Sources[edit]

  • I Dahlan,AA Salam,BS Amin,A Osman. (1995). Preference and Intake of Feedstuff by Crested Porcupines(Hystrix Brachyura) in Captivity. Ann Zootech 44, 271.
  • Vaughan, T. A. (1985). Family Hystricidae. In T. A. Vaughan, Mammalogy Third Edition (pp. 266–267). Arizona: Saunders College Publishing.

Template:Hystricidae nav