Question 1

True or false: African crested porcupines are the largest rodents in Africa.

Accepted Answer

True. Weighing up to 30 kg, they surpass all other rodent species on the African continent, including the similar-sized Cape porcupine, and are the continent's biggest rodent.

Question 2

True or false: African crested porcupines are strictly solitary and only meet to mate.

Accepted Answer

False. They live in monogamous pairs or small family groups, sharing burrows and raising young together.

Question 3

True or false: These porcupines often gnaw on bones to sharpen their teeth and get calcium.

Accepted Answer

True. They gnaw on bones and antlers for calcium and to wear down ever-growing incisors, a behavior called osteophagy.

Question 4

True or false: African crested porcupines can shoot their quills at predators like arrows.

Accepted Answer

False. Quills detach easily on contact but are not launched; the porcupine must physically back into a threat to embed them.

Question 5

True or false: These porcupines are excellent swimmers and often cross rivers to find food.

Accepted Answer

False. While they can paddle if necessary, they avoid water and prefer dry, rocky habitats, not swimming regularly.

Question 6

True or false: African crested porcupines use their quills to store food for winter, impaling fruits on the spikes.

Accepted Answer

False. No porcupine stores food on quills; they forage nightly and cache food in burrows, not on their bodies.

Question 7

True or false: A newborn African crested porcupine has soft quills that harden within hours after birth.

Accepted Answer

True. Babies are born with moist, flexible quills that dry and stiffen quickly, protecting them almost immediately.

Question 8

True or false: The African Crested Porcupine's quills are coated with a natural antibiotic to prevent infection from self-stabbing.

Accepted Answer

False. This adaptation is known in North American porcupines, but African crested porcupines lack such antibiotic properties on their quills.

African Crested Porcupine Trivia Questions