About Sphiggurus spinosus (F.Cuvier, 1823)
The Paraguaian hairy dwarf porcupine, scientifically known as Coendou spinosus, is a porcupine species belonging to the family Erethizontidae. It can be found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. This species has a short tail and gray-brown quills, and feeds on fruits, ant pupae, vegetables, and roots. It was formerly sometimes placed in the genus Sphiggurus, which is no longer recognized because genetic studies found Sphiggurus to be polyphyletic. The population that was previously recognized as the separate species orange-spined hairy dwarf porcupine (Sphiggurus villosus) has been reclassified into this species. The closest relatives of the Paraguaian hairy dwarf porcupine are the bicolored-spined porcupine (Coendou bicolor) and the black dwarf porcupine (Coendou nycthemera).
