Erethizon
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| Erethizon | |
|---|---|
| File:Porcupine NPS11952.jpg | |
| North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Erethizontidae |
| Subfamily: | Erethizontinae |
| Genus: | Erethizon F. Cuvier, 1823 |
| Type species | |
| Erithrix dorsata[1] Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Species | |
Erethizon is a genus of New World porcupine and the only one of its family to be found north of southern Mexico. The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is the only extant species, but at least four extinct relatives are known, the oldest dating to the Late Pliocene.[2] Porcupines entered North America during the Great American Interchange after the Isthmus of Panama rose 3 million years ago.[3] Early species of the genus retained an elongate tail, unlike E. dorsatum.[4]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar at line 165: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).