Hystrix prehensilis Linnaeus, 1758 The Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) is a porcupine found in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Bolivia and Trinidad, with a single record from Ecuador.

It inhabits tropical forests at elevations up to 1500 m.[2] The body is covered with short, thick spines that are whitish or yellowish in color, mixed with the darker hair, while the underside is grayish.

During the day it rests in a cavity in a hollow tree or in a well-shaded area of the canopy, 6 to 10 meters above the ground.

Its diet consists of leaves, fruit, small fresh twigs and shoots, seeds, roots, flowers, stems, bark and cambium layer of some trees, buds and agricultural crops like corn and bananas.

The newborn porcupine is covered with red hairs and small spines, which harden shortly after birth.