Indian porcupine is a mammal that belongs to the “porcamical” family and the type of “crests”. He voluntarily spreads seeds, so his role is important in the environmental system. The porcupine is a rather large and weighty representative related to the rodent detachment.
Appearance
The body of the Indian porcupine has a length of 70 to 90 centimeters. The tail lengthens the body by another 9-10 cm. The limbs are short, wide with claws. Porcupine claws digging the ground. He moves slowly and clumsily. The head is equipped with a gray crest. Small ears and eyes. The porcupine sees badly, but his sense of smell and hearing is wonderful.
The weight of the rodent lies in the range of 12-18 kilograms. Thorns are narrow tubes inside of which horn mass. They are not the same, their two types:
Thorns are black or brown, separated by alternating white stripes. In the cervical and shoulder region, long (50 cm), and in the area of the back and back of the thorns much shorter (20 cm). Thorns that are shorter, play a protective role.
Whitish spikes are concentrated on the tail, between which there are needles. Porcupine creates noise with their help, at the sight of a predator. The muzzle has a rounded shape, its surface has no needles, but it has wool.
Habitat
Indian porcupine lives in Asia and the Middle East. It is found in the territories:
The porcupine is perfectly arranged in any area. These are hills of the rocky mountains, a forest or shrubby zone.
Food
The diet of Indian porcupine includes fruits of different plants, greens, rhizomes, bulbs, bark.
In the spring, the rodent eats roots, bulbs and young shoots. When the fruits on the trees keep up, it appears in the gardens and eats fruits lying on the ground. In summer, porcupine trades in the fields, where corn and sorghum grow, also eats melting crops. Sometimes he eats insects and small vertebrates.
In the fall, enjoys grapes and all ripened fruits. Indian porcupine differs from desert rodents in that he definitely needs a watering.
In winter the rodent does not sleep, although it becomes less active. He eats the bark at shrubs and trees and feeds on plant roots.
Lifestyle
The most active Indian porcupines are in the evening and night. In the afternoon they are in burrows that build on their own or use readymade. In each hole, the entrance corridor is dug, there is three or four exits and a large interior. They have created families in which parents live and their offspring. Around the hole, the territory is marked, defended and strangers are not allowed on it.
Porcupines are able to climb trees, but prefer to move around the ground. If necessary, they can overcome the water barrier.
Reproduction
Puberty of the Indian’s puberty reaches by two years of life. Mating occurs yearround, as couples live together before the death of a partner.
Pregnancy proceeds 90-105 days. The female has 2-4 cubs.
The female feeds cubs with milk from two to three months. The cubs live with parents to a period of puberty.
Population and security
The number of Indian porcupine is stable. Protection status is the least dangerous. The porcupine has an important role as the distributors of pollen and plant seeds, therefore, the law of India provides for points that contribute to the preservation of the type.
