PORCUPINE
			Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Chordata Mammalia Rodentia Hystricidea (Old World); Erethizonidae (New World)

Porcupines are small to large rodents, up to 28 in. (70 cm) long and 60 lb. (27 kg) in weight. There are two families: Old World and New World. Their long, curved claws are ideal for burrowing but make them clumsy runners. To make up for lost speed, they protect themselves with quills.

Old World, or terrestrial porcupines, live in the forests and savannas of warm countries such as Ethiopia and Australia. They are herbivorous and nocturnal, spending their days in burrows or rock crevices, and feeding by night on bulbs, roots, fruit, and berries. New World, or arboreal porcupines, live in South America, are generally more compact, and can climb trees to feed. Hollow trees or leaf nests are the porcupine's daytime shelter.