Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Rodentiaa
Subordo: Hystricomorpha
Infraordo: Hystricognathi
Parvordo: Caviomorpha
Familia: Erethizontidae
Subfamilia: Erethizontinae
Genus: Coendou
Species: Coendou prehensilis
Name
Coendou prehensilis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type material: Unknown.
Type locality: “Asia, America meridionali”, restricted to “Pernambuco” by Thomas (1911: 141).
Combinations
Hystrix prehensilis Linnaeus, 1758: 57 [original combination]
Coendou prehensilis: Lacépède, 1799: 11 [subsequent combination]
References
Primary references
Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio Decima, Reformata. Tomus I. Holmiæ (Stockholm): impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. 824 pp. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542 BHL Reference page.
Lacepède, B.G.E. 1799. Discours d'ouverture et de clôture du cours d'histoire naturelle. Donné dans le Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, l'an VII de la République, et Tableaux methodiques des mammifères et des oiseaux. Paris. MDZ. Discours pp. 1–55. Mammifères pp. 1–18. Oiseaux pp. 1–20. Reference page.
Thomas, O. 1911. The Mammals of the Tenth Edition of Linnaeus; an Attempt to fix the Types of the Genera and the exact Bases and Localities of the Species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 81(1): 120–158. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1911.tb06995.x BHL Reference page.
Additional references
Leite, Y.L.R. et al. 2011. Designation of a neotype for the Brazilian porcupine, Coendou prehensilis (Linnaeus, 1758). Zootaxa 2791: 30–40. Preview
Menezes, F.H., Feijó, A., Fernandes-Ferreira, H., Costa, I.R. & Cordeiro-Estrela, P. 2021. Integrative systematics of Neotropical porcupines of Coendou prehensilis complex (Rodentia: Erethizontidae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 59(8): 2410–2439. DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12529 Paywall Reference page.
Vernacular names
brezhoneg: Hoc'h-dreinek Brazil
Deutsch: Cuandu
English: Yellow Quill-tipped Porcupine
español: Puercoespín arborícola
français: Porc-épic brésilien
magyar: Amazoni kúszósül
Diné bizaad: Shádiʼááhdę́ę́ʼ dahsání
polski: Koendu
português: Ouriço-cacheiro
русский: Цепкохвостый дикобраз
ไทย: เม่นต้นไม้
The Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) is a porcupine found in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Bolivia and Trinidad, with a single record from Ecuador. It inhabits tropical forests at elevations up to 1500 m.[2]
Description
The body is covered with short, thick spines that are whitish or yellowish in color, mixed with the darker hair, while the underside is grayish. The lips and nose are fleshy. The tail is prehensile, with the tip curling upward so as to get a better grip on tree branches. This porcupine can grow to forty inches long (1 m), but half of that is tail. It weighs about nine pounds (4.1 kg). No spines are found on the tail, which is long (330–485 mm (13.0–19.1 in)). Its feet are reflective of their arboreal lifestyle, well-adapted for gripping branches, with four long-clawed toes on each.
Behavior
Skeleton
This shy, nocturnal porcupine is solitary or lives in pairs in the branches of trees. During the day it rests in a cavity in a hollow tree or in a well-shaded area of the canopy, 6 to 10 meters above the ground. It rarely descends to the ground, but it shows little fear if it happens to be caught. It is not aggressive but will defend itself ferociously if attacked. Its diet consists of leaves, fruit, small fresh twigs and shoots, seeds, roots, flowers, stems, bark and cambium layer of some trees, buds and agricultural crops like corn and bananas.[3][4] This creature can easily be tamed enough to be kept in captivity. Intra-specific interactions consist of biting and attempts to injure adversaries with their sharp quills. When excited, porcupines stamp their hind feet. Vocalizations consist of growls and cries. If caught, the porcupine rolls into a ball. The prehensile tail is used to curl around branches when climbing.
Reproduction
As a rule the female gives birth to a single young one in the spring. The newborn porcupine is covered with red hairs and small spines, which harden shortly after birth.
References
Marinho-Filho, J.; Emmons, L. (2016). "Coendou prehensilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T101228458A22214580. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T101228458A22214580.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Infraorder Hystricognathi". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1547. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
Charles, Rica. "The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago" (PDF). The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago. The University of the West Indies at St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Coendou prehensilis (Tree Porcupine or Brazilian Porcupine). Retrieved August 4, 2024.
"Coendou prehensilis (Brazilian porcupine)". Animal Diversity Web.
Emmons, Louise H.; Feer, François (1997-09-02). Neotropical rainforest mammals : a field guide (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-226-20721-6. OCLC 44179508.
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