‘Rocco’ Turns One!

African crested porcupine ‘Rocco’ is celebrating his first birthday!

Has Rocco prickled your interest in porcupines? We’ve got facts for you! African crested porcupines are the largest and heaviest rodents in all of Africa, and their quills can grow up to 35 centimetres long. Mating can be a challenge because of the quills! A mother porcupine will give birth to her litter of ‘porcupettes’ in a special grass-lined chamber of the burrow system. When baby porcupines are born, the quills on their back are soft, and harden after about a week, when they are ready to leave the burrow for the first time.

African crested porcupines grow up quickly! At only 1-year-old, Rocco is nearly the size of his parents.

African crested porcupine ‘Rocco’