Family
Erethizontidae (New world porcupines)
Erethizon dorsatum. Photo: (c) Don Kemball, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
The New World porcupines, family Erethizontidae, are large arboreal rodents, distinguished by their spiny coverings from which they take their name. They inhabit forests and wooded regions across North America, and into northern South America. Although both the New World and Old World porcupine families belong to the Hystricognathi branch of the vast order Rodentia, they are quite different and are not closely related.
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