Description:

The giant ground porcupine (Terraericius magnus) is a browsing megafaunal porcupine species that evolved similarly to chalicotheres and ground sloths. Due to their defensive adaptations, the porcupines had few predators at the end of the Holocene extinction event. During the Epicene, they grew into larger pig-like porcupines, inhabiting the African forests and open woodlands. Eventually, they evolved claws, which resulted in the knuckle-walking group of the Tesseraericiusidae clade. The giant ground porcupine is the heaviest and tallest member of this clade, with a shoulder height of 0.9 to 1.5 meters when walking on its knuckles and is over 3 meters tall while standing on its hind legs. They are mainly little brown with a cream-colored belly. Unlike other tesseraericiusids, the giant ground porcupine has reduced quills that run along the back. The tail also has smaller quills along the top of the tail. The tail also helps these mammals to balance while sitting down. Their fingers also have claws that are about 6 to 12 centimeters long. These claws allow the rodent to pick up objects, dig roots, and protect itself from predators.

Distribution:

The ground porcupine inhabits the woody areas and open woodland within the Congo Savannah area. They also occasionally enter the Congo Rainforest to feed on fruit and get clay to supplement their diet.

Diet:

The giant ground porcupine mainly feed on twigs, fruits, leaves, and grasses. They will occasionally chew on bones of dead mammals to wear down their teeth and acquire calcium.

Seed Dispersal:

These mammals play a critical role in the woodland habitat, mainly in dispersing seeds of various plants. The group of plants that these rodents help are the seed-apples (genus Sporomalus). These plants have a lot of seeds in them but enough mesocarp surrounding them to feed the porcupine. The seeds of the plants have a tough outer shell that protects against the stomach acid of the porcupine's digestive system. Once the seeds pass through its digestive system, they will exit with the feces of the porcupine. The dung of the porcupine provides nutrients to the growing plant. The porcupine also allows for the dispersal of seeds over long distances, which the tree could not do by itself. It is estimated that 60% of the seed-apples are spread via these porcupines.

Social Structure and Reproduction:

These rodents are solitary, only coming together to breed during the dry season. Males will use loud calls and clicks to communicate with potential female mates—these calls help males avoid each other and speak to females across long distances. Mating has to be done incredibly carefully due to the spikes on the rodent's back and tail. The female porcupine can raise its tail while it stands on two legs. Once mating is completed, the female is solely responsible for raising their young. The standard litter size for giant ground porcupine is about two pups. Usually, the female will take care of the pups until they reach maturity, which takes about a year.