AnAge entry for Hystrix cristata
Classification (HAGRID: 03009)
- Taxonomy
-
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
Order: Rodentia
Family: Hystricidae
Genus: Hystrix
- Species
- Hystrix cristata
- Common name
- African porcupine
Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
- Maximum longevity
- 28 years (captivity)
- Source
- ref. 671
- Sample size
- Medium
- Data quality
- Acceptable
- Observations
One wild born specimen was about 28 years old when it died in captivity [0671], making it one of the longest-lived rodents.
Life history traits (averages)
- Female sexual maturity
- Male sexual maturity
- Gestation
- 66 days
- Weaning
- Litter size
- 2.3 (viviparous)
- Litters per year
- 2
- Inter-litter interval
- Weight at birth
- 1,000 g
- Weight at weaning
- Adult weight
- 20,000 g
- Postnatal growth rate
- Maximum longevity residual
- 125%
Metabolism
No information on metabolism is available.
References
- [0671] Richard Weigl (2005), Longevity of Mammals in Captivity; from the Living Collections of the World
- [0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
- [0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
External Resources
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- ITIS 584681
- Animal Diversity Web
- ADW account (if available)
- Encyclopaedia of Life
- Search EOL
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Taxonomy ID 10137
- Entrez
- Search all databases
- Ageing Literature
- Search Google Scholar or Search PubMed
- Images
- Google Image search
- Internet
- Search Google