South African porcupine
| South African porcupine | ||||||||||||
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South African porcupine ( Hystrix africaeaustralis ) |
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| Hystrix africaeaustralis | ||||||||||||
| Peters , 1852 |
The South African porcupine ( Hystrix africaeaustralis ) is a species of porcupine . It is the largest porcupine and therefore also the largest rodent in Africa. Like other porcupines, it is characterized by its long hair that has been transformed into spines. The distribution area extends over large parts of southern Africa, where it mainly lives in savannah and semi-desert areas, but also occurs in agricultural areas. The animals live in family groups in earthworks and feed on roots, tubers and other parts of plants.
features
The South African porcupine is the largest rodent in Africa and has a head and trunk length of 63 to 80 centimeters with a tail of 10.5 to 13 centimeters in length . The animals weigh about 10 to a maximum of 24 kilograms, with the females being significantly heavier than the males (up to a maximum of 18 kilograms). There is no pronounced sexual dimorphism beyond this , so the males and females do not differ externally. The rear foot length is 89 to 102 millimeters, the ear length 39 to 41 millimeters.
The animals are stocky, with relatively short legs and short tails hidden in the spiked dress. On the head there are short, brown bristles and thick, flexible vibrissae . The eyes are small and set far back on the head, the ears are inconspicuous. As with all porcupines, the body is covered with a typical spiky dress made of transformed hair. It consists of bristly hair, long spines (up to 50 cm long), strong defensive spines (up to 30 cm long), and flattened, bristly hair.
The South African porcupine differs from the common porcupine ( Hystrix cristata ) not only in its overall size, but also in the size of the tail tassel and the color of the spiky dress. The spine color of the trunk appears more white than black and the underside of the tail tassel is white.
The females have two to three pairs of teats in the thorax area and none in the lumbar area. The genome of the South African porcupine, like that of the common porcupine, consists of 2n = 66 chromosomes.
distribution
The South African porcupine is distributed over a large area in southern Africa. Its distribution area extends from Kenya and southern Uganda via Rwanda , the southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Angola , Zambia , Malawi and Mozambique to South Africa , although it is absent in central Botswana . It can occur from sea level to altitudes of over 2,000 m. It is debatable whether the species also occurs on the island of Zanzibar . On the northeastern edge of the distribution area in Tanzania in East Africa, it occurs partly sympatric with the common porcupine ( Hystrix cristata ).
The habitat of the South African porcupine consists of areas of the savannah , semi-deserts and scree areas, as well as forested regions. Wetlands, wet forests and desert areas without vegetation are avoided. Because of their lifestyle they prefer Burkea -Savannen, they also occur in the area of agricultural land and forest plantations.
Way of life
The South African porcupine is nocturnal and living on the ground. During the day, the animals are resting in hollows, crevices or dug burrows. The animals are good graves and either build their own burrows or take over abandoned burrows of other animals, such as those of the aardvark ( Orycteropus afer ). The structures can be complex with several chambers. The South African porcupines live in monogamous pairs and usually form family groups with their young animals, with whom they live in shared burrows. The females become pregnant after living together with their partner for about 90 to 100 days at the earliest. When searching for food, the groups can separate. The family groups can be relatively large and a maximum of 14 individuals were found in a burrow, which consisted of at least two pairs with young animals. The young animals leave their parents after reaching sexual maturity if there is enough space and food resources available. If these are limited, they stay with the parents, but do not become sexually active.
The activity radius of the animals is very large. For the Burkea savannah in South Africa, average summer territories of 215 hectares were determined, with the core area of around 80 hectares being used intensively. In winter the territories are smaller with a total area of about 142 hectares and a Kerareal of 55 hectares. The territories of neighboring family groups overlap, especially in winter, although the core areas are used exclusively by one family group. For animals that live in agricultural areas, the territories are larger and do not differ according to the season. The individuals probably mark their narrow territorial boundaries with scent marks within the entire area. The animals inhabit one to three building systems within the core area.
Communication within the species takes place via various whistles and pig-like grunts. Regular bonding behavior occurs within the family group, for example through grooming or the animals cuddling together.
Diet and environmental impact
It is omnivorous and feeds primarily on roots and tubers, bark, buds, berries and other fruits as well as young shoots and sprouts. They look for their food in the ground and dig for roots and tubers, which can cause major damage, especially in agricultural and forestry plantations. However, the burial activity also breaks up the hard savanna soil, allowing seeds and sprouts to develop better. This results in a significantly higher biodiversity among the plants in areas where porcupines or other heavily burrowing animals such as the aardvark or the spoonhound ( Otocyon megalotis ) live than in areas where these species are absent. Porcupines also like to eat the bark of trees, especially Burkea africana and Dombeya rotundifolia , which make them more susceptible to fungi and savanna fires. Together with the savannah fires, the animals thus reducing the spread of the mainly Burkea backlogs and their maturity, as the trees and bushes die usually early. Since the animals, however rarely the trunks of acacia gnaw or debarking, can this much better spread and penetrate into areas where the Burkea backlogs were destroyed. In this way, porcupines have a clear effect on the ecology of their habitat and on the succession of plant communities.
On hotter days, the animals reduce the amount of food they eat, but it is increased on cold days and animals kept in captivity eat significantly more in winter with low temperatures and short days than in summer. This enables the animals to be active even in cold times.
Reproduction and development
Within the family group, the mating of the South African porcupines only takes place between the monogamous parent animals. The young animals in the group, some of which are already sexually mature, experience sexual repression and accordingly do not reproduce as long as they do not leave the family. The breeding season varies regionally, in South Africa they are mainly born in the South African spring and summer between August and March with a peak in January. The 88 to 95% of the females are reproductive at the age of more than 24 months, in the younger females between 12 and 24 months it is about 63 to 88% and females under 12 months only very rarely have young. The sexual cycle and with it the fertile time lasts about 35 days in the females, captive porcupines from South Africa are fertile several times a year (polyestrial). The gestation period lasts 93 to 94 days, the litter consists of one to three and an average of 1.5 young animals. In an examination of 165 litters, the females had a single young in 58% of the cases, two in 32% of the cases and three in 10%. There is an average of about 385 days between the litters of individual dams, so there is only one litter per year and mother.
The birth weight is 300 to 440 grams and is on average 2% of the weight of the mother, the total weight of the young animals together with the umbilical cord and placenta is on average around 10% of the mother's weight. At birth, the young are already relatively well developed with soft spines and already open eyes. They are suckled on the teats , which are on the sides of the thorax ; the lactation occurs at for about 100 days, but can last up more than 160 days. The young remain in the burrows for a period of around seven to nine weeks, which is relatively long for rodents, and only leave them when the spines have hardened. The growth takes place very evenly over the first 52 weeks until the animals have reached a weight of 11 to 12 kilograms, after which the growth rate decreases slightly until they reach adult weight. The sexual maturity they reach usually between 12 and 24 months. The males live together with the dams and the young in the burrow and accompany and protect them when they leave the burrow to forage.
Only a few data are available on the age structure of the populations and, following research from northern South Africa, this changes within a short time noticeably depending on the number of births in the respective year and the distribution of births over the year. The proportion of adult animals older than 24 months in this study was between 30 and 50% of the animals, animals between 6 and 12 months and between 12 and 24 months each accounted for around 10 to 25% and the young animals up to 6 months of age 20 up to 40% of the total population. The survival rate of the young animals for the first year of life was 33 to 46% following the two-year investigation.
Predators and parasites
The predators of the South African porcupines mainly include larger predators such as big cats and hyenas , although they are relatively well protected against them by their spines and their behavior. Numerous types of ticks, mites and fleas have been documented as parasites.
Systematics
The South African porcupine is classified as an independent species within the genus of real porcupines ( Hystrix ), which consists of 8 species in Africa and South and Southeast Asia. The first scientific description comes from the German naturalist Wilhelm Peters from 1852, who described the species using individuals from the north of Mozambique on the coast of Querimba and in Tete . The exact type locality is unknown, it is given as approx. 10 ° 30 'to 12 ° 00' south and 40 ° 30 'east at sea level. Peters collected the type specimens on a research trip to the country and described the species in the multi-volume monograph Scientific Journey to Mossambique, carried out on the orders of His Majesty the King Friedrich Wilhelm IV in the years 1842 to 1848. Synonyms are Hystrix capensis Grill , 1860 and Hystrix stegmanni Müller , 1910.
In addition to the nominate form, no further subspecies are currently distinguished within the species . Up to three subspecies are mentioned in the literature, but they are not valid according to the current status: H. africaeaustralis africaeaustralis as the nominate form and H. africaeaustralis prittwitzi Müller , 1910 and H. africaeaustralis zuluensis Roberts , 1936.
Fossil Status
The genus Hystrix has been found fossil in Africa since the late Miocene . Fossils, probably the South African porcupine can be assigned, are from the Pliocene and the Pleistozän from fossil deposits in Makapansgat , Sterkfontein , Swartkrans and Kromdraai A . Other fossils are known from the Wonderwerk cave in the Kuruman district in South Africa.
Status and protection
The South African porcupine is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as "not endangered" (least concern). This is justified with the large distribution area, the assumed high population figures and the occurrence in numerous protected areas as well as the adaptability to habitat changes. Like the common porcupine, the animals are rather rare and spread like spots, but they can be encountered regularly and the total population is estimated to be stable. Potential sources of danger for the stocks are not known.
According to the IUCN, porcupines in southern Africa have benefited from agricultural development and are regionally regarded as agricultural pests due to their eating habits, especially in areas where root crops, potatoes, peanuts and maize are grown. They are also known to gnaw off the bark of the trunk on trees, making them more susceptible to fungal infections.
In their areas of distribution, porcupines are occasionally hunted by humans as a source of meat, their spines are used as ornamental elements.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f Erika L. Barthelmess: Hystrix africaeaustralis . In: Mammalian Species . tape 788 , 2006, p. 1–7 ( full text (PDF; 374 kB)).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r D.CD Happold: Hystrix africaeaustralis, Cape Crested Porcupine (Cape Porcupines). In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 676-678; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
- ↑ a b c d e Hystrix africaeaustralis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.3. Posted by: P. Grubb, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ↑ a b R. J. van Aarde: Demography of a Cape porcupine, Hystrix africaeaustralis, population. Journal of Zoology 213 (2) October 1987; Pp. 205-212. doi : 10.1111 / j.1469-7998.1987.tb03694.x
- ↑ a b c Hystrix africaeaustralis ( Memento of the original from January 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
literature
- Erika L. Barthelmess: Hystrix africaeaustralis . In: Mammalian Species . tape 788 , 2006, p. 1–7 ( full text (PDF; 374 kB)).
- DCD Happold: Hystrix africaeaustralis, Cape Crested Porcupine (Cape Porcupines). In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 676-678; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
Web links
- Hystrix africaeaustralis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.3. Posted by: P. Grubb, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- Lisa DeBruine: Hystrix africaeaustralis - Cape porcupine in the Animal Diversity Web; accessed on November 10, 2015