Sphiggurus spinosus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 →
Recording0:11
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 |
No species of the same family or order lives in Serra dos Órgãos National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine sighting in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 7 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May, July–September and December, the lowest months. That is one of Serra dos Órgãos National Park's wettest months, with about 310 mm of rain against 50 mm in July.
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 parks where we can rate Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine sightings, Serra dos Órgãos National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Tijuca National Park (Brazil, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Paraguaian Hairy Dwarf Porcupine is recorded against all the mammals logged in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
