Indian Crested Porcupine

A population at Udawattekele Forest Reserve in Kandy was studied from September 2019 to May 2021. Adult females outnumbered males 3 to 1, the study population was about 20 animals, and breeding females averaged 0.82 births a year (Biological and ecological aspects of the Indian crested porcupine at Udawattekele, University of Peradeniya).

The population appeared to be declining slightly, by an estimated 0.034, although the authors say this needs more work. Threats named include food scarcity in the reserve, dogs and traps, road deaths outside it, poaching for meat, and its status as a crop pest. Indian porcupine bone was also found in leopard scats in Eastern Sinharaja (Deshaprema et al. 2023). Nationally Least Concern (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).