In our desert habitat, you’ll find an unusual duo living alongside the meerkats—our two Cape Porcupines, Prickle-Pierre (or just Pierre) and Penelope.

They’re mostly nocturnal, which means they spend much of the day resting and become active at night. Because of this, Pierre and Penelope can sometimes be a little tricky to spot during your visit—but keepers will tell you that Pierre, in particular, is a big favourite behind the scenes.

Don’t worry though—their impressive quills and curious personalities mean they’re hard to forget once you do catch a glimpse!

Cape porcupines are found across the whole of southern and central Africa, to southern Kenya, Uganda, and Congo at the northern edge of their range. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, from sea level to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), although they are only marginally present in dense forests and the driest of deserts, and are not found in swampland.

Cape Porcupines are omnivores, mainly eating fruit, roots, bulbs and other plant material. They will occasionally eat insects and small vertebrates. Porcupines often gnaw at bones to obtain the nutritious minerals found within and also to sharpen their powerful incisors.

Cape porcupines mate throughout the year. After a period of around 94 days the female will give birth. She will give birth to one, two, or three young, known as porcupettes. At birth they will weigh only 3% of their mother’s weight.

The Cape porcupine population seems to be stable right now. Potential threats include habitat destruction and being hunted as pests by locals.

Contrary to popular myth, a porcupine’s quills will not fire at enemies but rather will loosely embed in their skin, which they can easily shed on contact. When threatened, a porcupine erects its quills and backs towards its assailant. Consequently, careless predators may end up with quills so deeply embedded that fatal wounds can develop.