How big does a African brush-tailed porcupine get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) reaches an average size of 43.1 cm (1′ 5″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 22.83 years, they grow from 146 grams (0.32 lbs) to 2.88 kg (6.34 lbs). Talking about reproduction, African brush-tailed porcupines have 1 babies about 2 times per year. The African brush-tailed porcupine (genus: Atherurus) is a member of the family Hystricidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) is a species of rat-like Old World porcupine, indigenous to a broad belt of Africa ranging from Guinea on the west coast to Kenya on the east. This is a common species with a very wide range, and despite being used extensively for bushmeat, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of “least concern”.
Animals of the same family as a African brush-tailed porcupine
We found other animals of the Hystricidae family:
- Thick-spined porcupine with a size of 54.2 cm (1′ 10″)
- Philippine porcupine with a size of 54.2 cm (1′ 10″)
- Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine with 1 babies per litter
- Malayan porcupine with a size of 52.8 cm (1′ 9″)
- Long-tailed porcupine with a size of 41.5 cm (1′ 5″)
- Crested porcupine with 2 babies per litter
- Cape porcupine with 2 babies per litter
- Indian crested porcupine with a size of 75 cm (2′ 6″)
Animals with the same size as a African brush-tailed porcupine
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as African brush-tailed porcupine:
- Subalpine woolly rat with a size of 41.7 cm (1′ 5″)
- Sand cat with a size of 51.3 cm (1′ 9″)
- Maroon leaf monkey with a size of 49.9 cm (1′ 8″)
- Marsh rabbit with a size of 40.2 cm (1′ 4″)
- Omilteme cottontail with a size of 39.2 cm (1′ 4″)
- Aquatic genet with a size of 45.8 cm (1′ 7″)
- Crab-eating macaque with a size of 51.5 cm (1′ 9″)
- Crested servaline genet with a size of 51.5 cm (1′ 9″)
- Royal antelope with a size of 49.9 cm (1′ 8″)
- Cozumel raccoon with a size of 42.8 cm (1′ 5″)
Animals with the same litter size as a African brush-tailed porcupine
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a African brush-tailed porcupine:
- Dall sheep
- Fischer’s pygmy fruit bat
- Golden-rumped elephant shrew
- Northern ghost bat
- Black capuchin
- Macroscelides proboscideus
- Common eland
- Red-faced spider monkey
- Speke’s gazelle
- Boodie
Animals with the same life expectancy as a African brush-tailed porcupine
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a African brush-tailed porcupine:
- American badger with an average maximal age of 26 years
- Blackbuck with an average maximal age of 20.25 years
- Southern hairy-nosed wombat with an average maximal age of 24.5 years
- Goodfellow’s tree-kangaroo with an average maximal age of 21 years
- Muskox with an average maximal age of 24 years
- Platypus with an average maximal age of 22 years
- West Caucasian tur with an average maximal age of 20.5 years
- Addax with an average maximal age of 25.67 years
- Egyptian fruit bat with an average maximal age of 22.83 years
- Short-beaked common dolphin with an average maximal age of 20 years
Animals with the same weight as a African brush-tailed porcupine
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Atherurus africanus:
- Booted macaque with a weight of 2.75 kilos (6.06 lbs)
- Bengal fox with a weight of 2.51 kilos (5.53 lbs)
- Spectacled hare-wallaby with a weight of 2.82 kilos (6.22 lbs)
- Kinkajou with a weight of 2.45 kilos (5.4 lbs)
- Red-rumped agouti with a weight of 3.02 kilos (6.66 lbs)
- Leopard cat with a weight of 2.78 kilos (6.13 lbs)
- Rüppell’s fox with a weight of 3.25 kilos (7.17 lbs)
- Northern common cuscus with a weight of 2.33 kilos (5.14 lbs)
- White-sided jackrabbit with a weight of 2.61 kilos (5.75 lbs)
- Red-eared guenon with a weight of 3.25 kilos (7.17 lbs)