- Where to see one
- 27 U.S. zoos in our directory hold prehensile-tailed porcupine, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
- Native range
- Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Bolivia, Trinidad, and a single record from Ecuador
- Size
- Grows to about 40 in (1 m) long, roughly half of that tail, and weighs about 9 lb (4.1 kg)
About the prehensile-tailed porcupine
The prehensile-tailed porcupine, also known as the Brazilian porcupine, is found across a wide stretch of South America, including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Bolivia, and Trinidad, with a single confirmed record from Ecuador. It lives in tropical forests at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft).
Its body is covered in short, thick spines that are whitish or yellowish and mixed in with darker hair, while the underside is grayish; the lips and nose are fleshy. The animal can grow to about 40 in (1 m) long, though roughly half of that length is tail, and it weighs about 9 lb (4.1 kg). That tail is the species' most distinctive feature: it's long, at 330–485 mm (13.0–19.1 in), carries no spines, and curls upward at the tip to grip tree branches securely. The feet are built for the same arboreal life, with four long-clawed toes on each that are well suited to gripping branches.
Behavior and diet
Diet
Leaves, fruit, small fresh twigs and shoots, seeds, roots, flowers, stems, bark and cambium, buds, and crops such as corn and bananas
This is a shy, nocturnal, tree-dwelling porcupine that lives alone or in pairs, spending its days resting in a hollow tree cavity or a shaded spot in the canopy, typically 6 to 10 meters (20 to 33 ft) above the ground. It rarely comes down to the ground at all. Despite that, it shows little fear if it happens to be caught, and while it isn't aggressive by nature, it will defend itself ferociously if attacked — biting and trying to injure an adversary with its sharp quills, and stamping its hind feet when excited. Its vocalizations consist of growls and cries, and if caught, it rolls itself into a ball. When climbing, the prehensile tail curls around branches to help anchor the animal in place.
Its diet is broad for a specialist tree-dweller: leaves, fruit, small fresh twigs and shoots, seeds, roots, flowers, stems, bark and the cambium layer of certain trees, and buds, along with agricultural crops such as corn and bananas when it can reach them. The species can be tamed easily enough to be kept in captivity.
As a rule, females give birth to a single young one in the spring. Newborns arrive covered in red hairs and small spines, which harden not long after birth.
Range and habitat
Habitat
Tropical forests, at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft)
The prehensile-tailed porcupine is native to a broad swath of South America — Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Bolivia, and Trinidad, with one record from Ecuador. It's a forest specialist, found in tropical forest habitat up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in elevation, and it spends nearly all of its time well off the ground, in tree cavities and the canopy.
Conservation status
The prehensile-tailed porcupine is rated Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN. No specific threats or dedicated protection programs for the species are detailed here.
Where to see prehensile-tailed porcupine in the U.S.
27 zoos across 20 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 23 zoos holding prehensile-tailed porcupine by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
4 more zoos hold prehensile-tailed porcupine but have no coordinates on file yet, so they aren't ranked here. They're in the full list below.
Alabama· 1
California· 1
Colorado· 1
Delaware· 2
District of Columbia· 1
Florida· 3
Idaho· 1
Illinois· 1
Louisiana· 1
Massachusetts· 2
Michigan· 1
Minnesota· 1
Mississippi· 1
New York· 1
Ohio· 3
Oregon· 1
Pennsylvania· 1
Tennessee· 2
Texas· 1
Wisconsin· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
Prehensile-tailed Porcupine: common questions
Is the prehensile-tailed porcupine endangered?
No. It's rated Least Concern by the IUCN.
How big does a prehensile-tailed porcupine get?
It grows to about 40 in (1 m) long, roughly half of that its tail, and weighs about 9 lb (4.1 kg).
What does a prehensile-tailed porcupine eat?
A varied plant diet: leaves, fruit, twigs, shoots, seeds, roots, flowers, stems, bark, buds, and crops like corn and bananas.
Where do prehensile-tailed porcupines live in the wild?
In tropical forests across much of South America, including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft).
Which U.S. zoos have prehensile-tailed porcupines?
Eleven zoos in the Feather & Fang directory list them, including Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Franklin Park Zoo, and Houston Zoo.
