Andean porcupine


The Andean porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Erethizontidae. It is found in the Andes of northern Ecuador and Colombia as well as in Panama. 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. However, genetic studies have shown it to be closest to the stump-tailed porcupine.