The Status of Nepal's Mammals: The National Red List Series - IUCN

169
130) Hystrix brachyura (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common Names
Himalayan Crestless Porcupine (English); Malaya
Dumsi (Nepali)
Synonyms
Acanthion hodgsonii, Hystrix hodgsonii, Hystrix
hodgsoni hodgsoni (Gray, 1847); Hystrix alophus
(Hodgson, 1847); Hystrix bengalensis (Blyth, 1851);
Hystrix subcristata (Swinehoe, 1870); Acanthion
millsi (Thomas, 1922)
Species Description
Shorter dorsal crest than the Indian Crested
Procupine. Small, barely visible tail. Quills begin after
the forelegs and stretch to the rump. Quills are white
with one dark band. Smaller than the Indian Crested
Porcupine with a longer face.
Species Ecology
The Himalayan Crestless Porcupine is able to live in
a variety of habitats including arid rocky hillsides,
temperate forests, subtropical and tropical montane
forests, riverines and gullies. This species feeds on
grass roots, shoots and carcasses.
The Himalayan Crestless Porcupine has a gestation
period of approximately four months after which a
litter of one to two young is produced. Porcupines
are one of the longest lived rodents with average
longevity 12 to 15 years with the longest record of
27 years in captivity.
Conservation Status
Global: Least Concern
National: Data Deficient
Rationale for assessment: There is insufficient
information available to make an accurate
assessment of the extinction risk of this species in
Nepal.
Legal Status
National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029
(1973). This species occurs within protected areas.
National Distribution
This species has a broad range in central and eastern
Nepal, possibly west Nepal, within protected areas
Langtang National Park, Makalu Barun National
Park, Sagarmatha National Park Shivapuri Nagarjun
National Park and districts of Ilam, Panchthar,
Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha.
Distribution outsode of Nepal
Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Viet Nam.
Main threats
• Hunting for subsistence.
• Habitat loss.
References
Suwal and Verheugt 1995, Nowak 1999, Ernst 2003, Molur et al. 2005, Wiegal 2005,
Nepal Red List of Mammals Field Technicians Workshop 2010, Baral and Shah 2008.