Content
- Hedgehog and porcupine taxonomic differences
- Differences between weight and size
- Differences in the place where they live
- Differences in food
- thorn difference
- Is it easy to distinguish between a hedgehog and a hedgehog?
Talk about hedgehog and porcupine is not the same thing. Many people mistakenly use the term to refer to the same type of animal and, thus, they cannot be more mistaken. The hedgehog and the porcupine have very noticeable differences that we'll share with you in this text.
One of these differences is in the thorns. Both have thorns, but they have very different shapes and characteristics. Another difference is the size, since the porcupine is bigger than the hedgehog, something that can be seen with the naked eye.
These are some of the things that characterize one species and the other, but to learn more differences between the hedgehog and the porcupine, we recommend that you continue reading this PeritoAnimal article. Good reading!
Hedgehog and porcupine taxonomic differences
- the hedgehogs or Erinaceinae, belong to the order Erinaceomorph, where are included 16 species of hedgehogs divided into 5 different genres, which are Atelerix, Erinaceus, Hemiechinus, Mesechinus and Paraechinus.
- The porcupine, in turn, is a term used to describe animals from two different families, the family erethizontidae and the family Hystricidity, animals that live in America and Europe, respectively. American hedgehogs are the most similar to hedgehogs in their physical appearance.
In the photo there is a specimen of porcupine.
Differences between weight and size
- the hedgehogs are insectivorous animals that can reach up to 30 cm in length and exceed 1 kg in weight. Physically they are animals with plump appearance and short legs, the tail can measure between 4 to 5 centimeters in length.
- the porcupine it's a much bigger animal, it can measure up up to 60 cm in length and 25 cm in height, doubling the size of the hedgehog. In addition, it can weigh up to 15 kg, that is, 15 times more than a common hedgehog.
In the image you can see a specimen of hedgehog.
Differences in the place where they live
- Hedgehogs are animals that can be found in the Africa, Asia, America and Europe. Their preferred habitats are grasslands, woods, savannas, deserts and cropland.
- However, porcupines can also be found in Africa, Asia, America and Europe.
Therefore, the habitats are very similar, and include deserts, savannas, jungles and cropland. Another difference is that there are species of porcupines that live in trees and can do this for a lifetime.
In the photograph you can see a porcupine climbing a tree.
Differences in food
Feeding is also different for these two animals.
- You hedgehogs are insectivorous animals, that is, they base their diet on the consumption of insects. They can eat earthworms, beetles, ants and other insects, they can even eat small mammals and eggs of various birds.
- You porcupines have a vegetarian diet, basically feed on fruit and branches, but a curiosity is that they can also feed on animal bones, which is where they extract calcium. So we can say that hedgehogs are carnivores and hedgehogs are vegetarian, thus making a big difference.
thorn difference
The thorns are also different between these two species of animals, what they have in common is that in both animals the thorns are keratin-covered hair, which gives them their characteristic rigidity. With the naked eye we can see that the spines of hedgehogs are much shorter than those of porcupines.
There is also the difference that the spines of porcupines are sharp and come off, in the case of hedgehogs, the same does not happen. Hedgehogs have the spines evenly distributed on their back and head, in the case of the porcupine there are species that have a concentration of agglomerated spines or individual spines interspersed with the fur.
both animals curl over your belly when they feel threatened, leaving the thorns bristling. In the case of the porcupine, they move to produce a warning sound, while at the same time they can loosen their thorns and drive them into their enemies.
Is it easy to distinguish between a hedgehog and a hedgehog?
After reading this article we can see that it is very easy to distinguish between a hedgehog and a porcupine. For starters, they are animals of different sizes, with hedgehogs being smaller. Like its spines, since the porcupine has longer, loosening spines, hedgehogs also have the spines evenly distributed.
As for food, now you know that the hedgehog prefers insects and the porcupine opts for a fruit-based diet.
If you want to read more articles similar to Differences between hedgehog and porcupine, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.