They inhabit a wide range of habitats, from sea level to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), although they are only marginally present in dense forests and the driest of deserts, and are not found in swampland.

Cape porcupines eat mostly plant material: fruits, roots, tubers, bulbs, and bark.

They have a long small intestine and large caecum, employing hindgut fermentation to break down the tough materials in their food.

[2] However, their debarking of trees may also play a role in the maintenance of local savannah ecosystems, helping to prevent the development of denser forested environments.

[11] Cape porcupines are nocturnal and monogamous, typically living as mated pairs of adults, caring for any young together.

Each pair may inhabit up to six burrows, jointly defending their shared territory,[12] although they typically forage as individuals.

Cape porcupines mate throughout the year, although births are most common during the rainy season, between August and March.

[16] They are weaned at around 100 days of age,[14] and grow rapidly for the first twenty weeks, reaching the full adult size, and sexual maturity, at the end of their first year.