Asiatic Brush-tailed Porcupine

Name of a species of porcupine (fig.) found in Southeast Asia, from China to Sumatra. It is known by the scientific names Atherurus macrourus and Hystrix macrourus. This nocturnal species, is commonly found in Thailand, where it even has been spotted on the island of Tarutao, off the coast of Satun province. It dwells in subtropical and tropical montane forests, where it is found on the forest floor, often in areas with profuse undergrowth interspersed with cane and bamboo brakes and palms. It digs burrows, which may be occupied by up to three animals. Females give birth annually to two litters of a single young, after a gestation period of around 105 days. It has a slender body and is light brown in colour with white under parts, and easily differentiated from other Southeast Asian species by its light coloured brush-tail, of which the end curls upward. In Thai, this species is known as men hang phuang and nicknamed mok (ม้อก) or ih-kae (อีแกะ). See also men. 回