Wildlifeof Malaysia
Asian Brush-tailed Porcupine
Rats, Mice, Voles & Porcupines
Photo: (c) Ian Dugdale, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Atherurus macrourus
Basic stats
Habitat
Subtropical and tropical montane forest; forest floor with dense undergrowth, cane, bamboo and palms; burrows
Range
Bhutan, India, China and Southeast Asia
Litter size
1 young; one or two litters a year
Gestation period
100–110 days
The Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine is a rodent in the porcupine family (Hystricidae), found from India and China through mainland Southeast Asia to Malaysia. It is nocturnal and fossorial, living in subtropical and tropical montane forest, usually on the forest floor in areas with profuse undergrowth interspersed with cane, bamboo and palms. It builds burrows that may be occupied by up to three animals (Wikipedia, general species account).
A camera-trap study found it typically active at night, with a single activity peak in the three hours before midnight, and on full-moon nights it limited foraging to dawn and dusk to avoid predators such as Asian golden cats and clouded leopards. The female has one or two litters a year, each of a single young, after 100–110 days. The cached account gives no description or diet (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Asian Brush-tailed Porcupine live in?
- Subtropical and tropical montane forest; forest floor with dense undergrowth, cane, bamboo and palms; burrows
- Where is the Asian Brush-tailed Porcupine found?
- Bhutan, India, China and Southeast Asia
- What is the litter size of the Asian Brush-tailed Porcupine?
- 1 young; one or two litters a year
- How long is the gestation period of the Asian Brush-tailed Porcupine?
- 100–110 days