20 November 2011

More Unusual Guests


I met this unusual guest recently. The photo came from a mobile phone as I was not ready for him. I have seen a few porcupines but this one was quite big. Hope someone can identify the exact specie.

The specie was identified as Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica), thanks to Bushana.

25 comments:

Bushana said...

We have only one porcupine species in Sri lanka and that is Hystrix indica.

betchai said...

that is indeed one very unusual guest.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Bushana,
Thanks a lot for that information.
This the biggest I have seen. About 2.5 feet in length.

Betchai,
Yep it is. He was not afraid of me staying that close. Thanks a lot for your comments.

Janith said...

Hey, you met Indi.ca? :D

Looks like a cute girl with her pepper-spray out. ;) :)

clo said...

Wow ,K ,it's a wonderful specimen...
you're so lucky...:)
I hope you are alright and your family too..
i send you my best thoughts..:)

rainfield61 said...

I have not seen a real one before.

Anjana Gunawardena said...

Ohh! Looks like you got really lucky to see one out in broad daylight!

I know there are few living in my neighborhood too(cos the damage they done to our gardens) but, they come out only at late night :D

thecouple said...

Wonderful! Nice that you could capture it at least in the mobile. :)

Magerata said...

I only have seen hedgehogs :) looks like this guy is mean and reading about it, confirmed, it can kill or maim when threatened. Be careful next time

Kirigalpoththa said...

Janith,
ha..ha.. good one :)

Clo,
Yes it is not a very common critter in our neihghbourhood.
thanks for your wishes.

Rainfield,
With all your travels you should have seen atleast one. So my conclusion is that there are none in Malaysia.

Anjana,
Yes, I was quite lucky. I have seen a few before but never this close.

thecouple,
Thanks very much :)

Magerata,
Yes, they can be bit mean but this one looks very innocent.

Thanks all for your comments.

Harshi said...

It sure is unusual.. :D I've seen them sometimes during long trips, like they're kept on roadsides, leashed and all. Probably for selling. It's sad to see them like that.. they should be freely wandering.

Bushana said...

HI K.
Porcupine may grow up to about 79-96 cm with quails(i.e. Nearly one meter)Head and body only might be around 66-77cm.
/Bushana

Amila Salgado said...

Good one. I have them in my garden, but difficult to see because of their mainly nocturnal habits.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi There, Just thinking about you... Giving up blogging??? I miss you.. Hope you are doing okay.
Betsy

Kirigalpoththa said...

Harumi,
Yes, a very innocent creature, but farmers hate them.

Bushana,
thanks for the information, that is huge!

Gallicissa,
Yes, they dig holes like crazy.that is one way you can say that they live in a partiular area.

Betsy,
Thanks a lot. Find it difficult to keep up with the posts with my current commitments. I'm doing fine and will not give up blogging :)

George said...

This is a wonderful picture, especially since it was taken with a phone camera. I've never seen such a colorful porcupine before. The ones I've seen over here are mostly brown.

Dulantha said...

Good work, thanks for sharing those nice images.

Daisy Debs said...

How beautiful ! Love your photography...the world is such a beautiful place..thankyou for sharing . Debbie :)

Kirigalpoththa said...

George / Dulantha / Flowerpot,

Thanks a lot for your comments.

Amaris in Wonderland said...

I need that camera phone! It's a really good image!

This porcupine is adorable! It looks like it is wearing a hula skirt of some kind. :D

I have only ever seen one from afar. We have a different species back in Texas, as well as here in Goiás.

I just recently saw what a dog looks like after a run-in with these creatures. :(

Miss you!! We've both been MIA, lately. Hope to see more of you soon.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Hi Amaris,

Thanks a lot for your comments.
Yes, bit MIA these days.

Saw your new blog.
The Porcupine was very special. Heard he is still seen around that place.

Best,
K

dev wijewardane said...

Pretty lucky to come across one of them during the day.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Yes, indeed. Thanks Dev.

Carol said...

What a cute little fellow, but ouch! that quill skirt is longer than our porcupines wear. Ours are pretty docile creatures and move quite slowly. I guess they do not have much to fear.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Hi Carol,
Yes this one has a long quill skirt. Look dangerous but actually he is a very innocent fella. Thnaks for your comments.