About the Indian Crested Porcupine
The Indian crested porcupine is the largest rodent in India — a bristling, black-and-white spined creature that is far more commonly heard than seen. Its dramatic rattle of hollow quills is one of the most distinctive sounds in India's night forests. Despite being common throughout India, it is strictly nocturnal and secretive, making it a prized sighting on night safaris.
Indian crested porcupines are herbivores that feed on roots, tubers, bark, and agricultural crops — making them unpopular with farmers but ecologically important as soil aeration agents through their burrowing. Their quills — modified hairs of up to 35 cm — are the source of much mythology. Contrary to popular belief, porcupines cannot shoot their quills; instead they reverse rapidly into predators, embedding loosely attached quills in the attacker's face or paws. Leopards and tigers occasionally prey on porcupines but often suffer embedded quills that can cause fatal infections.