Zoo Buddy: African Crested Porcupine!

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - Meet Willow and Cypress! They’re African Crested Porcupines at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo in Monroe.

General Curator Lisa Taylor says these guys are found in Italy and along the Mediterranean coast of Africa.

Zookeeper John Hodges says they are nocturnal and their whiskers help them navigate in the dark.

“They’re made of keratin, the same thing as our hair and fingernails. When they’re born, their quills are soft, and they get harder in the first few months,” explains Hodges.

Many people think they “shoot” quills at you, but they do not! If they feel unsafe, they will run backward and detach the quills into the predator.

Quills are hollow!

“They are excellent swimmers, we know this for a fact and all you fishermen out there, if you’ve ever used a quill to fish as a cork with a cork attached to it for brim or for white perch or things like that well guess what, you’re using an actual African Crested quill,” explains General Curator Lisa Taylor. “Their quills are not barbed like the North American porcupines, but the quill does work itself all the way through the flesh of the animal until it exits and falls out.”

These guys are part of the rodent family, so their teeth constantly grow, and they need to chew on tough things to keep their teeth in check. Their claws are great tools for digging and they will make burrows in just about anything. Specifically, they love using abandoned termite mounds to make a home in.

Hodges says they give them bones, tree limbs, and lots of enrichment for their teeth.

If you would like to help with projects at the zoo, they have a community volunteer day coming up March 21. It’s at 9 am. Meet at the entrance of the zoo and wear closed-toed shoes and clothing you don’t mind getting dirty.

The zoo is projecting that construction on the new Louisiana Purchase exhibit will be finished in the spring of 2026.

While construction continues on the new Louisiana Purchase Exhibit, the Reptile Building is closed.

Until then, you can request some reptiles at educational programs or birthday parties, or you might just see one at the zoo when staff are taking them on a stroll.