Indian Crested Porcupine

The Indian crested porcupine is a large rodent with a head-and-body length of 70–90 cm and a short tail measuring another 8–10 cm. Modified hairs form several defensive layers: long, slender quills cover shorter, thicker spines, and the longest neck and shoulder quills reach 15–30 cm. Most quills are brown or black with contrasting white bands. Hollow quills on the tail produce a warning rattle, while broad feet and long claws are adapted for excavating burrows. (Animal Diversity Web)

This adaptable porcupine ranges through southern and central Asia and parts of the Middle East. It favors rocky hillsides but also occupies tropical and temperate scrub, grassland, forest, and Himalayan terrain up to approximately 2,400 m. It is nocturnal and spends daylight hours inside caves, rock shelters, or complex self-dug burrows. Its herbivorous diet includes roots, fruit, grain, other plant material, and agricultural crops; it also gnaws bones to obtain minerals. When threatened, it raises its quills, rattles its tail, and may charge backward. (Animal Diversity Web)