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The African porcupine is a mammal of the Rodent family.
The body of these small rodents is covered with dark brown or black fur and short sharp spines or nibs. Some of them grow in bunches, and others - separately. They serve only to protect against enemies. Only the back is covered with spines, and the front - with bristles or rough fur. The piglets turn their spines towards the predator when they are frightened by it. When touched, they quickly prickle and prick the enemy's skin, so most people do not approach them. The spines can cause painful wounds, even death, if they affect vital organs or cause infection. Unlike adults, little porcupines do not have spines, but soft fur and are soft to the touch like a plush toy. After a few weeks, they already have sharp spines and become dangerous.
The porcupines reach up to 83 cm in length, and from 13 to 27 kg in weight.
There are 25 types of porcupines.
Habitat
They live in Africa, Asia and partly Europe (Sicily, Italy), Mexico and South America.
The porcupines prefer to live in forests, mountains or deserts. The African porcupines are primarily nocturnal and have the enviable ability to dig large tunnels underground. They have calm character, but even lions run away from them in nature.