One of the least known and most elusive members of the porcupine family, and it holds a very mysterious place in South American wildlife. Native to Colombia and Venezuela, this species is so rarely seen that for decades it was thought to be possibly extinct. Unlike the larger, more familiar North American porcupine, the brown hairy dwarf porcupine is small, nocturnal, and arboreal, spending most of its life high in the trees.

The brown hairy dwarf porcupine is among the smallest porcupines in its range, adapted for life in the canopy rather than on the ground. Its strong prehensile tail acts like a fifth limb, helping it grip branches as it climbs through dense tropical forests. Its diet is thought to consist mostly of leaves, fruits, shoots, and bark, but because it is so little-studied, much of its natural history remains a mystery. Unlike some porcupines that are more visible or bold, the brown hairy dwarf porcupine is quiet, shy, and mostly nocturnal, which makes sightings extremely rare and scientific study challenging.

For a long time, the brown hairy dwarf porcupine was known only from a handful of museum specimens collected in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and there were no confirmed modern sightings for decades. Then, in recent years, camera traps and field surveys provided new evidence that the species is still alive, sparking excitement among conservationists. Even so, it remains one of the least-documented mammals in South America, making it a priority for research and protection.

Because of its rarity, the brown hairy dwarf porcupine has earned a kind of “cryptic” reputation among mammalogists—something like the “ghost” of the porcupine family. Its hairy covering makes its quills less obvious, so at a glance, it doesn’t look like a porcupine at all.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Colombia

DD

2016