evidence: Within Old world porcupines of the sub-genus Hystrix (H. indica, H. africaeaustralis and H. cristata), only H. africaeaustralis (Cape porcupine) and H. cristata (crested porcupine) show a sympatric distribution overlap in southeast Africa1, while H. indica (Indian porcupine) is widely distributed in semi-arid areas of south-western Asia2. The three species have thrived amidst anthropic activities, such as agriculture and manmade riverbanks, which provide rodents with enough food resources and burrowing habitats, respectively3. These rodents are infamous as pests for destroying economically important crops and damaging riverbanks by burrowing4,5,6. [...] Pillay, K. R., Wilson, A. L., Ramesh, T. & Downs, C. T. Digestive parameters and energy assimilation of Cape porcupine on economically important crops. Afr. Zool.50(4), 321–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2015.1116373 (2015).