Records of crested porcupine, Hystrix cristata, in Sardinia

摘要

The crested porcupine Hystrix cristata is a large rodent distributed in Africa, from the Mediterranean coasts to Central Zaire and Northern Tanzania, whereas in Europe it is found only in Italy, approximately from the Po valley south to Calabria, isle of Elba, and in Sicily (Angelici and Amori 1999, Angelici 2009). In Italy, during past decades the species range has expanded northwards and eastwards (Amori and Angelici 1992). Its preferred habitats are the Mediterranean maquis, abandoned fields, bushy areas, and rocky terrain, and it has also been recorded in mountain areas up to 2500 m a.s.l. (Angelici 2009).