Indian crested porcupine
member of the Old World porcupines
The Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) is a hystricomorph rodent species in the Old World porcupine family, Hystricidae. It is native to West Asia and South Asia and listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Description
The Indian crested porcupine is a large rodent, weighing 11–18 kg (24–40 lb). The body from nose to base of the tail measures between 70 and 90 cm (28 and 35 in), with the tail adding an additional 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in).
It is covered in multiple layers of modified hair called quills, with longer, thinner quills covering a layer of shorter, thicker ones. The quills are brown or black with alternating white and black bands. They are made of keratin and are relatively flexible. Each quill is connected to a muscle at its base, allowing the porcupine to raise its quills when it feels threatened. The longest quills are located on the neck and shoulder, where the quills form a "skirt" around the animal. These quills can grow up to 51 cm (20 in) long, with most measuring between 15 and 30 cm (5.9 and 11.8 in).
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Indian crested porcupine” is member of the Old World porcupines. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Indian, crested and porcupine, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “member of the Old World porcupines” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q741524. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Indian crested porcupine”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Indian crested porcupine primary sources, Indian crested porcupine archive and Indian research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Indian crested porcupine”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Indian crested porcupine” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.