Sphiggurus spinosus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The Paraguaian hairy dwarf porcupine (Coendou spinosus) is a porcupine species from the family Erethizontidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. They have a short tail and gray brown quills and feed on fruits, ant pupae, vegetables and roots.
This species was formerly sometimes assigned to Sphiggurus, a genus no longer recognised since genetic studies showed it to be polyphyletic. The population formerly recognised as the orange-spined hairy dwarf porcupine (Sphiggurus villosus) has been reclassified to this species. Its closest relatives are the bicolored-spined porcupine (Coendou bicolor) and the black dwarf porcupine (Coendou nycthemera).
John F. Eisenberg and Kent H. Redford, 2000. Mammals of Neotropics: Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil. Wikipedia →
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Brazil · 2025
© Leandro Peres · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Brazil · 2025
© uriraz · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Brazil · 2018
© Fernando Costa Straube · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine sighting in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 8th most-seen of the 15 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, against about 10% in April to January, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine sightings, Rio de Janeiro has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come São Paulo (Brazil, about 10%).
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine that you can see in Rio de Janeiro (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Capybara (about 30%), Crested Agouti (about 20%) and Spotted Paca (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine is recorded against all the mammals logged in Rio de Janeiro (29 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
