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Today, spines or quills are found in four major groups of living mammals: hedgehogs (Erinaceomorpha: Erinaceidae, Erinaceinae), tenrecs (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae, Tenrecinae), echidnas (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae), and rodents (Rodentia). In adult common tenrecs, even after the stridulating organ disappears, the fur on that area of the back vibrates rapidly when individuals are threatened or scared. The two families of porcupines are quite different, and although both belong to the Hystricognathibranch of the v… Mechanical design of hedgehog spines and porcupine quills Hystricidae (Old World porcupines), Journal of Zoology, 210: 55–75. Once it has entered the skin, its microscopic backward-facing barbs prevent the quill from being removed without causing significant pain and damage to surrounding tissues. MRC 5516 Porcupines can be found on rocky areas up to 3,700 m (12,100 ft) high. Many spinous species are preyed upon by snakes, birds, and other mammals, who do not seem to be deterred by the spines. Gould, E. 1965. Here's everything you need to know before you visit. Topics Over the course of mammalian evolution, hairs have been modified and specialized to perform many functions, including insulation, camouflage, signaling (to potential mates or potential predators), sensing (via whiskers or vibrissae), and defense. A porcupine is any of 58 species of rodents belonging to the families Erethizontidae (genera: Coendou, Erethizon, and Chaetomys) or Hystricidae (genera: Atherurus, Hystrix, and Trichys). Figure 5b. ), Wittenburg Lutherstadt, Germany. Photo credit: Kathryn M. Everson.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is a leader in giant panda conservation, advancing conservation efforts around the world. Porcupines have become a pest in Kenya and are eaten as a delicacy. Brodie, E.D. Lakota women would harvest the quills for quillwork by throwing a blanket over a porcupine and retrieving the quills it left stuck in the blanket. In fact, hedgehogs and hedgehog tenrecs look so similar that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned the import of hedgehog tenrecs – popular in the exotic pet trade – in an attempt to control the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock, not because tenrecs are known to transmit the disease but because hedgehogs are, and infected hedgehogs may be mistaken for hedgehog tenrecs. By submitting this form, you are granting: Smithsonian National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20008, United States, permission to email you. (See our Email Privacy Policy for details.) 4). An invasive scent is produced from the skin above the tail in times of stress, and is often seen with quill erection.

Disclaimer: Most porcupines are about 60–90 cm (25–36 in) long, with a 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long tail.

Porcupines' spiny protection resembles that of the unrelated erinaceomorph hedgehogs and Australian monotreme echidnas as well as tenrecid tenrecs.

2005. Spines and quills evolved independently at multiple places and times in the mammal tree of life; thus, they are an example of convergence. [23] The quills have inspired research for such applications as the design of hypodermic needles and surgical staples. (See our Email Privacy Policy for details.) [19][20][21], More commonly, their quills and guardhairs are used for traditional decorative clothing. 5) are molted by juveniles and are replaced by softer fur in adults, with the spines on the stridulating organ replaced last. By submitting this form, you are granting Smithsonian National Zoological Park permission to email you. Architectonic and diagnostic significance of hair cuticle. Figure 4. There is not much difference between the quills of an infant and those of its parents apart from length. This is especially true for the two species of hedgehog tenrec, Setifer setosus and Echinops telfairi, who look strikingly similar to “true” hedgehogs (Erinaceidae). Stankowich, T. 2011. In the winter, it may eat bark.

Accessed October 27, 2020 at https://animaldiversity.orgcollections/spinesquills/. Tail rattling alone appears to deter most solitary predators, who have likely learned to match the rattling sound with pain. Nature, 268: 627-28. Robert Brockie (1976) found that anointing was heavily correlated with mating and suggested that the spines retain scents that are important in sexual behavior and intra-species communication. Mohr, E. 1965.

Chernova, O.F. Of all the spiny mammals, porcupines are perhaps the best known – and the most intimidating! The shaft of a juvenile common tailless tenrec spine (Tenrec ecaudatus) magnified 150x. You may unsubscribe via the link found at the bottom of every email. Olson, L.E. Roze, U.

Worchester and London: André Deutsch Ltd. Caro, T.M.

The stridulating organ is not as active in the common tenrec as it is in streaked tenrecs; the common tenrec vibrates its spines only when it is frightened, often in conjunction with the erection of quills on its neck and back, and the sound it produces occurs at a reduced frequency range (12 to 15 KHz). & Adler, G.H. et al.

Vincent, J.F.V.

Because their spines are unbarbed and undetachable, hedgehogs do not actively defend themselves from predators like the porcupine does. This week, the Zoo's geneticists determined that the porcupette born overnight Feb. 22 is a boy! In both families the backs and sides of the porcupine are covered with true quills, which they erect and flare if predators approach too closely. [8] It is mostly nocturnal,[9] but will sometimes forage for food in the day, eating bark, roots, fruits and berries, as well as farm crops. Indeed, the armored rat (Hoplomys gymnurus), which has the largest and best-developed spines among the echimyid rodents, is abundant in very wet lowland forests in the Neotropics. 2012. Animal Quills is a creative community for animal-people to share and discuss their written works. [8], The African porcupine is not a climber and forages on the ground. By becoming a member, you'll help the Zoo save species and get great benefits for you and your family each time you visit! Along with the raising of the quills, porcupines clatter their teeth causing warning noise to let predators know not to come closer. The word "porcupine" comes from Latin porcus pig + spina spine, quill, via Old Italian—Middle French—Middle English. “True” quills have a spongy core and are found in echidnas as well as some rodents. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control. Roze, U., Locke, D.C. & Vatakis, N. 1990. The New World porcupines evolved their spines independently (through convergent evolution) and are more closely related to several other families of rodents than they are to the Old World porcupines. The following year (1977), Edmund Brodie reported that hedgehogs use toxic secretions from toads to deter predators. 1986. "Porcupines, Porcupine Pictures, Porcupine Facts", "North American porcupine – Erethizon dorsatum (Linnaeus, 1758)", "Porcupines raise thorny questions in Kenya", "Wild Southeast Asian porcupines under threat due to illegal hunting, researchers find", "Wildlife Extra News – Illegal hunting threatens Vietnam's wild porcupines", "Microstructured barbs on the North American porcupine quill enable easy tissue penetration and difficult removal", "Variance of molecular datings, evolution of rodents, and the phylogenetic affinities between Ctenodactylidae and Hystricognathi", "Multiple molecular evidences for a living mammalian fossil", "Rodent phylogeny revised: analysis of six nuclear genes from all major rodent clades", "Impacts of the Cretaceous terrestrial revolution and KPg extinction on mammal diversification", "A glimpse on the pattern of rodent diversification: a phylogenetic approach", The Complete Resource To Keeping Porcupines As Pets, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Porcupine&oldid=984852742, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from September 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 October 2020, at 14:13.

A comparative study of thin structure of tenrec spines. However, hairs do not fossilize as readily as other structures like teeth and bones, so spines and quills may have evolved much earlier. Materials Today, 5(12): 28-41. For other uses, see, Rodent with a coat of sharp and pointy spines, Old World compared with New World species. & Hoffmann, R. 2004. These small- to medium-sized animals (2-2000 grams) have a stunning variety of behaviors, physiologies, and appearances. But how do porcupines protect themselves from being injured by their own quills? The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family Erethizontidae. One way that porcupines appear to limit self-injury is through natural antibiotics in their quills. Figure 5b. University of Chicago Press: Chicago. The North American Porcupine. Evidence for echolocation in the Tenrecidae of Madagascar. Grants DRL 0089283, DRL 0628151, DUE 0633095, DRL 0918590, and DUE 1122742. Zherebtsova, O.V. The common names of tenrecs, like hedgehog tenrec, shrew tenrec, and mole tenrec, refer to their superficial resemblances to other mammals (although in reality they are more closely related to elephants and aardvarks than to their namesakes). The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support. Both adults and porcupettes shed quills naturally, but they always grow back—just as other mammals’ hair does. Tenrecs. The spines – over 5,000 on average – instead serve as passive body armor, and the hedgehog’s best defense is to roll into an unappetizing ball. [11] These displays are ranked from least aggressive to most aggressive respectively. Stridulation, the rubbing together of spines, produces pulses of sound between 2 and 200 KHz (humans generally hear within a range of 12 to 20 KHz).

Old World porcupines have short, flattened spines or bristles on the head, neck, feet, and belly, while the undersides of New World porcupines are covered in much softer fur.

Figure 1. However, unlike hedgehogs, the septa of hedgehog tenrecs are more closely spaced, the external walls of the spines are thinner, and there are no longitudinal stringers. [15] The shape of the barbs makes the quills more effective, both for penetrating the skin and remaining in place. [11] The rattling of quills is aided by the hollow quills at the back end of the porcupine. Hedgehogs use toad venom in their own defence.

Biology of the Integument 2: Vertebrates. To determine whether a porcupette is male or female, animal keepers and Zoo scientists at the Center for Conservation Genomics turn to the mighty quill to relay the secrets of an animal’s DNA. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe.

A porcupine is any of 58 species of rodents belonging to the families Erethizontidae (genera: Coendou, Erethizon, and Chaetomys) or Hystricidae (genera: Atherurus, Hystrix, and Trichys). Ultrastructure of echimyid and murid rodent spines.

Porcupine quills, for example, are different lengths over different parts of the body, fall out relatively easily, and break readily when bent, whereas hedgehog spines are the same length all over the body, are well embedded into the skin (“you can pick up a hedgehog by a single spine!” Vincent 2002, p.30), and are stout and slightly curved. These spines are relatively soft at first, but they harden and darken over the first weeks of life and are eventually replaced with hard, adult spines via “quilling,” a process that occurs within the first six months.

1977. The Beginning of the Age of Mammals. At birth, a porcupette’s quills are soft, but they become stiff and sharp within minutes. 2013. While streaked tenrecs also produce noise from their mouths, stridulation appears to be an important form of communication because it occurs while feeding, during social contact, during courtship, during exploration, and when fighting or fleeing. The common or tailless tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus) has a structure similar to the stridulating organ of Hemicentetes, although it is only present in juveniles. If the predator doesn’t stand down, the porcupine will try to poke the predator with its quills. Predators often keep their distance, however, because porcupines use a variety of aposematic signals, or warnings to enemies to stay away. Photo credit: Link E. Olson.

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