Food Habits of the Indian Crested Porcupine, Hystrix indica in Sindh, Pakistan

The fecal pellets of Hystrix indica were collected from the agricultural lands of Malir in the suburbs of Karachi. Hystrix indica mainly fed on agricultural crops including vegetables and fruit rather than xeric vegetation. Diet of Porcupine was observed to vary and comprised of 66.7% vegetable matter. Tuber/roots, leaves /stem and fruit formed 3.9%, 46.3% and 16.5% of the diet consumed respectively. Agricultural crops like Cucurbita maxima (Pumpkin), Psidium guajava(Guava) and Solanum melongena (Brinjal) were eaten extensively. It has been observed that Hystrix indica is the serious pest of agricultural crops of the area. Long term studies are proposed for better understanding of food habit of this important pest of crops, forestry and rangeland.