Johannesburg Wildlife Vet Hospital welcomes days-old porcupine Posted by Imogen Searra 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 Cruising Cape Town’s kelp forests 12 April 2021 Ocean lover Craig Foster calls the kelp forests of South Africa ‘golden forests’ because of... read more The South African hiking bucketlist 12 April 2021 We've done a lot of hiking here at Getaway: from day hikes to multi-day trails,... read more Hunting Homegrown Tigers 1 April 2021 Traditionally associated with the Zambezi River and waterways beyond, catching tigerfish on a fly rod... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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