Notes on the natural history of the Stump-tailed Porcupine, Coendou rufescens (Rodentia, Erethizontidae), in Colombia

By

Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor E.
Romero-Ríos, Cristina
Henao Osorio, Jose Jaime
Franco-Herrera, Juan Pablo
Ramírez Padilla, Bernardo Ramiro

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020-11-11

Original Publication

Neotropical Biology and Conservation

Volume

15

Series / Issue

Issue: 4

Pages

471--478

Subjects

Andes , Citizen science , Diet , diurnal activity , Movements , prehensile tail

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Brazil Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.15.e56926

 

Abstract

Porcupines of the genusCoendouare among the least studied mammals in the Neotropics. The Stump-tailed Porcupine,Coendou rufescens, is distributed in the Andean region from Colombia and south to Bolivia. Despite its wide distribution, nothing is known about its natural history, besides observation of banana consumption in captivity. Here we present new observations on the feeding habits, diurnal activity, and the use of the tail for support during feeding obtained by means of collaborative (citizen) science. We also comment on its locomotion on land and in trees. We observed five diurnal events ofC. rufescensfeeding on infructescences of trumpet tree (Cecropia angustifoliaTrécul). During the feeding activities, the Stump-tailed Porcupine used the tail for stability and support. These are the first observations of such behavior in the wild for this species and suggest a more diurnal activity for this species which belongs to a group of rodents traditionally considered to be predominantly nocturnal.