African Brush-tailed Porcupine vs gray wolf

Atherurus africanus compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

• African Brush-tailed Porcupine is Least Concern while gray wolf is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African Brush-tailed Porcupine	gray wolf
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Hystricidae	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Atherurus	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Atherurus africanus	Canis lupus

Evolutionary Relationship

African Brush-tailed Porcupine and gray wolf share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

African Brush-tailed Porcupine

LC — Least Concern

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African Brush-tailed Porcupine	gray wolf
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	13 years
Average Length	—	1.6 m
Average Weight	—	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

African Brush-tailed Porcupine

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African Brush-tailed Porcupine

The African Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherurus africanus) is a species in the genus Atherurus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This species inhabits Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

gray wolf

The most widely distributed wild canid, gray wolves range from North America across Eurasia in diverse habitats including tundra, forests, and grasslands. Highly social animals living in family packs led by a dominant breeding pair. As keystone predators, wolves regulate prey populations and profoundly shape ecosystem structure, as demonstrated by their reintroduction in Yellowstone. Once heavily persecuted, populations are recovering in many regions.