Erethizon

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Erethizon
Temporal range: Late Pliocene - Recent
Porcupine NPS11952.jpg
North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Erethizontidae
Subfamily: Erethizontinae
Genus: Erethizon
F. Cuvier, 1823
Species
  • Erethizon dorsatum
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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 several extinct relatives are known, the oldest dated to the Late Pliocene.[1] Porcupines entered North America during the Great American Interchange after the Isthmus of Panama rose 3 million years ago.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Hulbert, Richard C. (1997). "A new late Pliocene Porcupine (Rodentia: Erethizontidae) from Florida". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 17 (3): 623–626. doi:10.1080/02724634.1997.10011010.
  2. ^ Bromley, D.; Osborne, T. (1994). "Porcupine: Alaska Wildlife Notebook Series". Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-10.


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