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Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predators. The term covers two families of animals, the Old World porcupines in the family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines in the family Erethizontidae. Both families display superficially similar coats of rigid or semirigid quills, which are modified hairs composed of keratin, and belong to the infraorder Hystricognathi within the diverse order Rodentia. The two groups are distinct and are not closely related to each other within the Hystricognathi. The largest species of porcupine is the third-largest living rodent in the world, after the capybara and beaver.
The Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) live in Italy, West and South Asia, and most of Africa. They are large, terrestrial, and strictly nocturnal. New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) are indigenous to North America and northern South America. They live in wooded areas and can climb trees, where some species spend their entire lives. They are generally smaller than their Old World counterparts and are less strictly nocturnal.
Most porcupines are about 60–90 cm (25–36 in) long, with a 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long tail. Weighing 5–16 kg (12–35 lb), they are rounded, large, and slow. Their colouration consists of various shades of brown, grey, and white. Porcupines have various methods to defend themselves from predators, the most prominent being the use of their quills, which advertises their unsuitability for being preyed upon. This strategy is known as aposematism. To some degree, the spiny protection resembles that of the hedgehogs, echidnas, and tenrecs, none of which shares any spiny ancestors; all of them, and also the Old World and New World porcupines, are products of convergent evolution. The spines of the various groups also vary markedly.
Humans have a varied history with porcupines, with some cultures considering a symbols of self-defense or cautiousness. Porcupines appear in mythology in regions where the animal has economic significance, such as for food or in the production of quillwork textiles.
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