Johannesburg Wildlife Vet Hospital welcomes days-old porcupine Posted on 10 December 2020 A days-old Southern African porcupine has been taken into the care of the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital after attempts to locate her mother failed. The young animal was discovered in a residential estate and part of her umbilical cord was still attached. ‘While we were hopeful that the mother would return, this unfortunately didn’t happen, and the little porcupine is now under our care,’ said the hospital in a Facebook post. ‘While being slightly dehydrated, no other obvious wounds or injuries were found. She has taken well to her special milk formula and is doing well so far,’ the hospital continued. Take a look at the little bundle below The Southern African porcupine’s latin name is Hystrix africaeaustralis She will soon grow into her whiskers! The tiniest tot! Facts about the Southern African porcupine Also known as the Cape or African porcupine They are the largest rodent in their region Females are, on average, about one kilogram heavier than males Male and females grow to over half a meter long These animals can survive 12 to 15 years in the wild The latin name for porcupine means, ‘quill pig’ Baby porcupines are called porcupettes A mother-baby family unit is called a prickle Pictures: Lauren Beckley & Sarah Kempen/ Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital Related Posts Plans to evict Maasai from Ngorongoro ends in conflict 17 June 2022 Tanzania's multi-land use model is unique, in that allows the local community to live in... read more What happened during the Black December of 1957? 13 June 2022 In December of 1957, a series of encounters with sharks along the Natal coast resulted... read more Bumblebees have been reclassified as fish in California, here’s why 3 June 2022 The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis with a loss in insects and essential... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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