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Photo: Steven Lek · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗
Cape Porcupine
Ystervark · Hystrix africaeaustralis
Africa's largest rodent, armoured in a stunning coat of long black-and-white quills that it can rattle and raise when threatened. The Cape porcupine shuffles out at night to dig up roots, bulbs, and tubers, and to gnaw on bones for minerals. If a predator gets too close, it charges backwards to drive its sharp quills into the attacker, a surprisingly fierce defence.
Log your Cape Porcupine sighting — free →How to identify it
Unmistakable: a large, round rodent covered in long banded black-and-white quills.
Look for its tracks
Broad foot with long claw marks; look for swept quill-drag lines and a shuffling, pigeon-toed trail.
Where to see it in Kruger
Uncommon and nocturnal; shelters in burrows and caves by day, emerging at night across most habitats.
Did you know
It runs backwards into enemies, and its quills can come loose and stick painfully in a lion's face.
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