Brazilian Porcupine

 

Hello everyone, it is Aussie Jo from down under shivering her you know what off, any way this week we are looking at the Brazilian Porcupine.

It can be found in Brazil, Argentina, and about 10 or so other places. It hangs out in tropical forests at elevations up to 1500m.

It has an oversized pinky-brown nose and soft, curious eyes that from a distance make it look nice and cuddly, it isn’t because it is covered in short, thick, white and yellow spines and has four long claws on each foot that can shred skin. So don’t try and cuddle it.

The claws are designed to assist with climbing, as it spends around three-quarters of its life in trees, eating and sleeping its long tail curls around branches also to help it stay in its tree.

It can act like a toddler when it stomps its feet and cries usually when scared or upset. If it sees a threat, it will pop its quills out making it look twice as big as it really is, of it rolls up into a spiky ball.

They grow to around a meter in length but half of that is its tail.