Mexican+Dwarf+Hairy+Porcupine

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//Sphiggurus mexicanus//

Order: Rodentia

=**__Husbandry Information__**=

Diet Requirements

 * Zupreem Primate, sweet potatoes, carrots.
 * In the wild, these porcupines prefers fruits and seeds, but they also eat leaves and buds.

Notes on Enrichment & Training


=__Programmatic Information__=

Potential Messaging

 * Shade-grown coffee: The original coffee plants that were cultivated could not withstand much sunlight and were therefore grown beneath the canopy of the forest. Due to the popularity of coffee, most strains of coffee plants have been cultivated over time to withstand full sunlight. This has created large-scale deforestation for coffee plantations. Please ask guests to choose organic shade-grown coffee in which the plants are grown beneath the forest canopy, preserving arboreal habitat for tamarins, marmosets, sakis, binturongs, and birds while the forest floor is being used for human purposes. Look for coffee that is Rainforest Alliance Certified or marked “Organic Shade-Grown”. [] []

=__Acquisition Information__=

=__Comments from the Rating System__=
 * Philadelphia Zoo: Slower to train and harder to motivate than other porcupines, but will do the basics well (crating, targeting)
 * Toledo Zoo: We do demonstrations with it on a glove; because of that, his handling can be difficult for beginner handlers.

=__Natural History Information__=

Range and Habitat
Mexican dwarf hairy porcupines live in southern Mexico to Western Panama. They favor high elevation forests, but are sometimes found in lowland habitats as well.

Physical Description
Dark brown to black porcupine with fur covers most of the long spines on the body. The head is marked by yellowish spines that are visible through the fur, and by light-colored fur tufts near each ear. The long tail lacks quills and is modified for use as a prehensile appendage. Hands and feet are specialized for climbing in cooperation with their tail. Adults range from 21.5 to 31.5 in with a tail about a third to two-fifths of that total length, and weigh about 3–5.5 lb.

Life Cycle
Little is known about their life cycle. A typical litter probably numbers just one. Young are precocial, born with hair and soft quills, which quickly stiffen to provide a level of defense. Average lifespan is 12 to 17 years.

Behavior
Nocturnal and arboreal, these porcupines spend their days sleeping in vegetation among branches, in tree hollows, or in bamboo undergrowth, although some evidence suggests they might also utilize dens and caves. Mexican dwarf hairy porcupines are usually solitary; males will fight with other males, but will tolerate females.

Threats and Conservation Status
Mexican dwarf hairy porcupines are not threatened. Common predators include snakes, harpy eagles, jaguar, coyote, humans. Mexican hairy dwarf porcupines are used as food in many parts of Mexico and Central America.

=__Did you know…__=
 * Porcupine quills are stiff, hollow hairs. Quills come out easily, part of this animal’s defense. The quills are barbed and are very difficult to remove once they have penetrated skin.
 * The name "porcupine" comes from Middle French porc d'espine "thorny pig."

=__Photographs__=

=__Contributors and Citations__=
 * The Philadelphia Zoo
 * Houston Zoo, Natural Encounters