A nasty surprise this morning in the barganews vegetable garden. During the night almost one third of the potato plants which were just starting to show, had been pulled up and eaten. The probable culprit is the Crested Porcupine, a nocturnal feeder, well known in this area for foraging in unattended gardens and fields. Some hastily constructed “scarecrow” elements were installed in the field this afternoon in an attempt to keep the animals away from the rest of the crop but chances that these will be effective are pretty slim. The only way forward now is to put up a fence. Watch this space.
Crested Porcupine – Hystrix cristata is part of the family Hystricidae. The more common name for this species is the crested porcupine. The crested porcupine has an average head and body length of about 600-900 mm. Almost the entire body is covered with bristles which are either dark brown or black and rather coarse. This mammal is recognizable by the quills that run along the head, nape, and back that can be raised into a crest. Hence the name crested porcupine. There are also some sturdier quills which are about 350 mm in length and run along the sides and back half of the body.
These sturdier quills are used, for the most part, for defense and are usually marked with light and dark bands which alternate, these are not firmly attached. This porcupine has a shorter tail which has rattle quills at the end. The rattle quills broaden at the terminal end and the broad portion is hollow with thin walls. When these quills are vibrated they produce a hiss-like rattle. source – Wikipedia
So what do Crested Porcupines eat ?
Studied was the diet of crested porcupines by faecal analysis in a rural hilly area in central Italy. Food categories were identified by comparison with either isolated sections of fresh plant material or digested fragments obtained from captive porcupines fed experimentally. Roots predominated in the diet and were consumed at a similar frequency all year round. Herbs were the most eaten epygeal category especially in winter and spring. Possibly the winter consumption of herbs was related to a decrease in the availability of other food categories, such as grass inflorescences and fruits. Consumption of these two food categories was positively correlated and inversely associated with herbs. Grass inflorescences (mainly Hordeum murinum) were an important diet component in summer. Porcupines fed on fruits mainly in summer and autumn. The consumption of storage organs increased in winter and in spring. The values of trophic niche breadth and overlap suggested that porcupines are generalist foragers. These feeding habits, combined with the abandonment by man of the countryside in the last few decades, may partly explain the recent range expansion of the crested porcupine in Italy. – source- Univ. Siena, dep. evolutionary biology, 53100 Siena, ITALIE – The diet of the Crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L., 1758 in a Mediterranean rural area
Your agricultural fortunes can only improve after these last few weeks…
“Studied was the diet of crested porcupines by faecal analysis in a rural hilly area in central Italy.”
This sentence conjures up some startling images.
Spinosa alla cacciatora (with or without potatoes)
Chiamata in dialetto spinosa per il suo mantello formato da aculei bianchi e neri, “l’istrice” (histrix cristata) appartiene alla famiglia degli istricidi e all’ordine dei roditori.
Le sue dimensioni possono raggiungere i 70 cm senza la coda e il peso di circa 14 Kg. Da tempo è una specie protetta ed il suo habitat ideale è la macchia mediterranea. Ama le abitudini notturne e solitarie, non scava la tana, ma la ricava da un anfratto naturale o utilizza quella di altri mammiferi. E’ vegetariano e ben protetto dai suoi aculei, non teme nessun nemico eccetto l’uomo che lo perseguita perché può distruggere un orto in una notte, e per la bontà delle sue carni. Una volta si cacciava con delle trappole poste in prossimità della sua tana o nei passaggi che di notte ripeteva alla ricerca di cibo.
Il metodo migliore per apprezzare il sapore e le qualità pregiate della sua carne era di cuocerlo alla cacciatora. Spellato del suo manto, e ripulito dalle interiora, si lasciava sotto l’acqua corrente per circa due ore, in modo tale da togliergli ogni cattivo odore, essendo un animale selvatico. Una volta sezionato a spezzatino veniva fatto macerare in una salsa con olio, sale, peperoncino, aglio, rosmarino ed un goccio di aceto. Dopo circa 4 ore il tutto si faceva cuocere nel classico padellone di ferro sul fuoco, aggiungendo del vino bianco. Il tempo di cottura è di circa 30 o 40 minuti e si consiglia di mantenere per tutto il tempo della cottura il coperchio sulla padella, scoprendola solo alla fine per rosolare meglio il contenuto..