Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 135, March 2016, pp. 1-20. | Page 4

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Family: Hystricidae
Genus: Hystrix
Subgenus: Hystrix
Species: Hystrix indica Kerr, 1792

The taxidermied Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica Kerr, 1792) at the Paulus-Haus
Museum – Deutscher Verein vom Heiligen Lande in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Occupied
Palestine. Photo: Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf-von Jaffa.
23.07.2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/15554003711/

Description
The Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica), or Indian Porcupine, is a member
of the Old World porcupines. An adaptable rodent, the Indian porcupines are
found throughout southern Asia and the Middle East. They are tolerant of
several different habitats such as mountains, tropical and subtropical grasslands,
scrublands, and forests (Yerevan Zoo).
Indian porcupines are large rodents with a head-body length of 70-90 cm and a
body weight of 11-18 kg. They have a short tail measuring 8-10 cm. The quills of
porcupines are brown or black in colour, with alternating bands of white. Spines
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 135 – March 2016