The Indian porcupine is mainly nocturnal and is therefore not often seen. Adults can grow to 90 cm and weigh over 18 kg. Long sharp bristles and a profuse armory of spines and quills on its back and tail make this large rodent no easy prey. To warn potential predators, the white, open-ended tail quills produce a rattling sound when shaken. Those on the back are black, brown and white striped. They are extremely sharp and easily removed as they are a form of modified hair. A resident of sal forest and grasslands, the porcupine lives in burrows which it usually excavates near streams and ravines