Wildlifeof China
Malayan Porcupine
Rats, Mice, Voles & Porcupines
Photo: Mike Gordon — wildlifeofeverywhere.com · Project photograph
Hystrix brachyura
Basic stats
Diet
Roots, tubers, bark, grain, vegetation and fallen fruit
Habitat
Forest, grassland, open fields and cultivated edges with suitable burrowing sites
Range
Central and southern China, Hainan, the eastern Himalayas and mainland Southeast Asia
Litter size
Usually 2, sometimes 3
Gestation period
Approximately 110 days
Size
45.5–93cm
Weight
8–27kg
The Malayan porcupine is a large, stocky rodent with a short tail, small eyes and ears, and dark brown body quills. Long defensive quills on its lower back are white with a dark central band and white tips. Some individuals possess a weak crest along the neck. Adults measure 45.5–93cm in head-and-body length and weigh 8–27kg. (Handbook of the Mammals of the World species account)
In China the species reaches north to southern Gansu and southern Shaanxi and occurs southward through central and southern regions, including Hainan. It inhabits forest, grassland and open or cultivated country, excavating extensive burrows beneath banks and rocks. A nocturnal herbivore, it eats roots, tubers, bark, grain and fallen fruit and gnaws bones for calcium. Females bear two, occasionally three, well-developed young after approximately 110 days. (Handbook of the Mammals of the World species account)
Quick answers
- What does the Malayan Porcupine eat?
- Roots, tubers, bark, grain, vegetation and fallen fruit
- What habitat does the Malayan Porcupine live in?
- Forest, grassland, open fields and cultivated edges with suitable burrowing sites
- Where is the Malayan Porcupine found?
- Central and southern China, Hainan, the eastern Himalayas and mainland Southeast Asia
- What is the litter size of the Malayan Porcupine?
- Usually 2, sometimes 3
- How long is the gestation period of the Malayan Porcupine?
- Approximately 110 days
- How big is the Malayan Porcupine?
- 45.5–93cm
- How much does the Malayan Porcupine weigh?
- 8–27kg