Safari Scenes captured a porcupine and her young porcupettes walking down Saltjie road in the Kruger National Park recently.
Cape porcupines are found in East Africa, South Africa, and North Africa where they find Aardvark burrows, or dig their own burrows to live in.
The weight for both sexes is the same, ranging from 10 – 25 kg, sometimes reaching up to 30kg. Porcupines grow up to 81 cm long and will sometimes spike up their quills to appear bigger and more threatening.
These creatures can be very aggressive when they feel threatened. Contrary to the myth, porcupines do not throw their quills but rather run sideways or backwards to harm their attacker with the sharp quills.
The quills come off when they are attacked by a predator, but they grow back rapidly.
All-year-round is mating season for these small animals. The young are normally born in small litters of up to three.
The porcupine’s diet is mostly vegetarian, using their sharp claws to dig for roots, bulbs, and tubers. Fallen fruits are some of their favourite food too.
PICTURE: Screenshot of video
