Porcupette

Bite-Sized

Another Addition to the Prickle

July 09, 2026 | 1 minute read

Quill you believe it? We have more reasons to say “porcupette”! Our 13-year-old female African crested porcupine Caleefa gave birth to a tiny porcupette on habitat this morning!

After welcoming an offspring with her 13-year-old mate Bristle in February, we’re thrilled to see our prickle grow once again. This new arrival marks the pair’s fourth offspring together since Caleefa chose Bristle as her mate in 2021. The pair have consistently shown strong parental instincts ever since. While it’s early days, our Animal Care, Health & Welfare team remains cautiously optimistic that the new porcupette is doing well and that the family is settling in as expected. The two offspring are yet to be sexed so be sure to stay tuned for future updates on our prickly new additions.

Over the next few days, Caleefa and her newest porcupette may spend some time off habitat as they settle in and form early bonds. Join us in congratulating the family on their new por-cute-pine!