The brush-tailed porcupines have bodies covered in quills like their New World relatives.

These quills are shorter and not as visually prominent as those seen in the genus Hystrix, but considerably more so than in Trichys.

They are forest dwellers and nocturnal, and feed on vegetation, but may take insects or carrion.

Due to their small size (the typical brush-tailed porcupine weighs about 3 kg), it is a popular bushmeat to the urban and rural residents of Gabon, Nigeria, Cameroon or Congo.

The brush-tailed porcupine is hunted in such large quantities, many in those areas fear that it is no longer a sustainable option.