Spatial Ecology of Crested Porcupine in a Metropolitan Landscape

Abstract

Human settlements, including cities, may provide wildlife with new ecological niches, in terms of habitat types and food availability, thus requiring plasticity for adaptation. The crested porcupine Hystrix cristata is a habitat-generalist, large-sized rodent, also recorded in some suburban areas, but no information is available on its habitat use in metropolitan landscapes. Thus, we studied land-use factors influencing the presence of crested porcupines in a metropolitan area of Central Italy. We collected data on the occurrence of crested porcupines from the metropolitan area of Rome following an observer-oriented approach to record occurrences and estimate pseudo-absences. We then related the presence/absence of H. cristata to the landscape composition. Occupancy models showed that cultivations and scrubland were positively correlated with porcupine presence, most likely as providing this species with clumped food resources and shelter sites, respectively. Although the crested porcupine has been confirmed as a “generalist” species in terms of habitat selection, a strong preference for areas limiting the risk of being killed and providing enough food and shelter was observed. We therefore suggest that the crested porcupine may adapt to deeply modified landscapes such as large cities by selecting specific favourable land-use types.