Cape porcupine
South African porcupine ( Hystrix africaeaustralis )
The South African porcupine ( Hystrix africaeaustralis ) is a species of porcupines. It is the largest porcupine and therefore also the largest rodent in Africa.
Features
The South African porcupine has a total length of 63 cm to 80 cm with a tail from 10.5 to 13 centimeters in length. It weighs 10 to a maximum of 24 kg. The animals are stocky build, with relatively short legs and short, hidden in the spiny coat tails. On the head are short brown bristles and thick, movable vibrissae. The eyes are small and are located far back on the head, the ears are normal. The body is covered like all porcupines with a typical spines converted from hair. It consists of bristly hair, long spines (up to 50 cm long), strong defensive spines ( up to 30 cm long) and flattened, bristly hairs.
Dissemination
The South African porcupine is spread over a large area in southern Africa. You can observe this by Kenya and Uganda on the southern Rwanda, the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to South Africa, where it is absent in Central Botswana. It can occur from sea level to heights of over 2,000 m.