Andean porcupine
| Andean porcupine | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Erethizontidae |
| Genus: | Coendou |
| Species: | C. quichua |
| Binomial name | |
|
Coendou quichua Thomas, 1899 |
|
The Andean porcupine (Coendou quichua) is a species of rodent in the family Erethizontidae. It is found in the Andes of Ecuador as well as from the Cordillera Oriental of northeastern Colombia near San Vicente de Chucurí. This porcupine is little known, but is probably arboreal, nocturnal and solitary like its relatives. The species is thought to be uncommon to rare and the population decreasing. It is threatened by deforestation, habitat fragmentation and agriculture.
Although it is morphologically distinctive, it has sometimes been described as a subspecies of the bicolored-spined porcupine (C. bicolor). However, genetic studies have shown it to be closest to the stump-tailed porcupine (C. rufescens).
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