Hystrix pumila

Geographic Range

Hystrix pumila is found on the Philippine islands of Busuanga, Palawan, and Balabac also known as the Palawan Faunal Region.

• Biogeographic Regions
• oriental oriental
  • native native

• Other Geographic Terms
• island endemic island endemic

Habitat

Hystrix pumila prefers lowlands, primary forests, secondary forests, caves (including old mine shafts), and sometimes burrows. Burrows may hold up to ten individuals. Sometimes H. pumila individuals make nests of plant material within dens. Preferred habitat of Indonesian porcupines consists of grassland and agricultural mosaic, abandoned and active plantations, and also rugged areas.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest forest
• mountains mountains

• Other Habitat Features
• suburban suburban
• agricultural agricultural
• caves

Physical Description

Tail length of Hystrix pumila ranges from 2.5 to 19 cm. Indonesian porcupines have short nasal bones, an enlarged infraorbital foramen, and a hystricognathous lower jaw. They have a stocky build, small eyes, small ears, and has a short rounded head with no head or neck mane. The dorsal coloring is dark brown to black with light speckles, the underside is brown to gray-white. The quills are flattened, with longer rigidity near the tip. Tail quills have shorter open-ended quills that rattle loudly. The hair is bristle-like. The forefeet have four well developed digits while the hind feet have five digits. Indonesian porcupines have short claws and the soles of the feet are smooth and naked.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• male larger

Reproduction

Indonesian porcupines are monogamous. After attracting a mate, female H. pumila raise their rear and tail high while her chest is on the ground. The male then proceeds to mount the female by clasping her sides with its front paws and balancing on its hind feet.

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous

Indonesian porcupines usually have one young in each litter, sometimes two. In their lifetime, they can have from 6 to 12 young. Indonesian porcupines begin to eat solids at two weeks old, even though they are still receiving milk from their mother. They breed from March to December.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• viviparous viviparous

Like other mammals, female Indonesian porcupines nurse and care for their young until they are independent. Males typically are not involved in caring for young.

• Parental Investment
• precocial precocial
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-independence
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Indonesian porcupines live 9 to 15 years in the wild. A captive individual lived for 9.5 years.

Behavior

Indonesian porcupines are solitary creatures, except when mating or caring for young. They move up to 16 kilometers at night when searching for food. Indonesian porcupines den in rock crevices or under tree buttresses. These porcupines walk heavily on the soles of their feet and run with a shuffling gait. If Indonesian porcupines feel threatened, they raise their quills. If that does not work, they stamp their feet, move their quills, and charge backward at their opponent.

• Key Behaviors
• terricolous
• nocturnal nocturnal
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• solitary solitary

Home Range

Home range size of Indonesian porcupines is not reported.

Communication and Perception

Male Indonesian porcupines use vocalizations to attract females for mating. They use hums, whines, and grunts. Also, males urinate on females. When a mate is found, the male and female dance on their hind legs and whine and hum together. They sniff each other and put their paws on each other’s shoulder and sometimes rub noses.

Indonesian porcupines have a keen sense of smell, which they use to locate food. They have poor eyesight.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Indonesian porcupines feed on vegetation, including coconuts, roots, bulbs, tubers, fruits, and berries. Sometimes they will feed on small vertebrates, insects, or carrion. They gnaw on bones for calcium and otherwise gnaw on branches, tree bark, and tree trunks to wear down their ever growing incisors.

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • folivore folivore
  • lignivore

• Animal Foods
• mammals
• amphibians
• carrion carrion
• insects

• Plant Foods
• leaves
• roots and tubers
• wood, bark, or stems
• seeds, grains, and nuts
• fruit

Predation

Indonesian porcupines, like other porcupines, use their formidable quills to defend themselves against predators. There are no known predators in the wild.

Ecosystem Roles

Indonesian porcupines aid in seed dispersal through the defecation of seeds of fruit they have eaten.

• Ecosystem Impact
• disperses seeds

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Indonesian porcupines are hunted for their meat. Also, the quills of H. pumila can be collected for ornaments and talismans.

• Positive Impacts
• food food
• body parts are source of valuable material

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Indonesian porcupines are seen as nuisance animals on coconut plantations and in other areas as they gnaw on trees and leaves. They may transmit diseases due to the ticks and fleas they carry.

• Negative Impacts
• injures humans
  • carries human disease
• crop pest

Conservation Status

Hystrix pumila populations are considered stable.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.

Casey Spinler (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Chris Yahnke (editor, instructor), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

References

Dingwall, L. 1986. Porcupines . Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Limited.

Nowak, R. 1991. Walker's mammals of the World Fifth ed. Volume II . Baltimore, Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press.

Sherrow, V. 1991. The Porcupine . Minneapolis, Minnesota: Dillon Press, Inc.

2002. "Field Museum" (On-line). Hystrix pumila. A Synopsis of the Mammalian Fauna of the Philippine Islands. Accessed October 23, 2006 at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/philippine_Mammals/Hystrix_pumila.htm .

2005. "Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia" (On-line). Indonesian porcupine. Accessed October 11, 2006 at http://www.answers.com/topic/hystrix-pumila .

2002. "Mak Planck Institute for Demographic Research" (On-line). “Longevity Records Life Spans of Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Fish, Table 1. Record LifeSpans(years) of Mammals. Accessed October 16, 2006 at http://www.demogr.mpg.de/longevityrecords/0203.htm .

2004. "Palawan Council for Sustainable Development" (On-line). Palawan Porcupine. Accessed October 22, 2006 at http://www.pcsd.ph/photo_gallery/fauna/palawanporcupine.htm .