Prehensile-tailed Porcupine

Coendou prehensilis

A South American tree porcupine that grips branches with its strong, muscular tail.

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About the Prehensile-tailed Porcupine

Prehensile-tailed porcupines weigh 4 to 11 pounds and have bodies 12 to 24 inches long, with tails almost as long. They live in forests of Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Trinidad and northern Argentina, and they spend most of their time in trees. They are nocturnal herbivores that eat leaves, flowers, shoots, roots and the soft layer under tree bark.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Coendou prehensilis^[1]
Size: Body 12 to 24 inches; tail 13 to 19 inches.^[1]
Weight: 4 to 11 pounds.^[1]
Lifespan: 12 to 17 years in human care.^[1]
Diet: Herbivore. Leaves, flowers, shoots, roots and the layer under tree bark.^[1]
Habitat: Forests, mostly in trees.^[1]
Where it lives: Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Trinidad and northern Argentina.^[1]
Group life: Nocturnal; sleeps in trees during the day.^[1]
Babies: One baby, about 14 ounces, after a pregnancy of about 203 days.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).^[2]

Fun facts

Half of the weight of this porcupine's tail is muscle.^[1]
Babies are born with their eyes open and can climb right away.^[1]
These porcupines may move to a new tree every night.^[1]

Vocabulary

prehensile: Able to grab or wrap around things, like a tail that holds onto branches.
quill: A stiff, sharp, hollow spine.
arboreal: Living mostly in trees.
nocturnal: Active mainly at night.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Small Mammal HouseSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Prehensile-tailed porcupine.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/prehensile-tailed-porcupine (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Coendou prehensilis (Brazilian Porcupine).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/101228458/22214580 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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