See text The prehensile-tailed porcupines or coendous (genus Coendou) are found in Central and South America.

[2] Two other formerly recognized Neotropical tree porcupine genera, Echinoprocta[3] and Sphiggurus,[4] have been subsumed into Coendou, since Sphiggurus was shown by genetic studies to be polyphyletic, while Echinoprocta nested within Coendou.

[5] Among the most notable features of Coendou porcupines are their unspined prehensile tails.

[6] They feed on leaves, shoots, fruits, bark, roots, and buds.

Their young are born with soft hair that hardens to quills with age.