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References

http://www.calgaryzoo.com/content/view/21/281/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_Porcupine

Are there any way that the zoo may decrease the biodiversity?

Well, in African lots of hunters kill porcupines for their quills which decreases their biodiversity. Which then they're will be less porcupines at the zoo. But if the Zoo doesn't want them to reproduce they can put them in different rooms, they can also let them out in the wild agin that way they might get shot by a hunter or killed by a predator. That way the biodiversity of the animal will decrease.

Identify why your animal has the risk level that it does, and the efforts currently in place to censerve and protect African Porcupine.

First of all, people like hunting porcupines for their quills their quills are long and they're very nice pattern so they can make something out of it. But the Calgary Zoo helps the porcupines, they do so many things to keep porcupines alive. The Calgary Zoo also has a population mangement plan, which helps the porcupines a lot.





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visit the centre for conservation research and list as many ways and programs that you can find

• volunteering your time
• growing native plants
• providing financial support
• eating responsibility
• recycling and composting

• using less water and energy

How does the Calgary Zoo help maintain and preserve the biodiversity of African Porcupine?

The Calgary Zoo brings special food that the organism likes. It keeps it safe from predators, they feed them take care of their health as well. And it would take care of its kids, feed them and take care of their health too.

Does an African Porcupine have a narrow niche or broad?

It has a narrow niche. Becuase an African Porcupine has a special place to live special food to eat, if someone brought this organism to Calgary's forests it wouldn't be able to survive. An African Porcupine is a specialist it can only survive in Africa because that's where it can survive. It also wouldn't be able to survive here because of the food he needs specific food that is in Africa.

Variations within species

• different patterns, continuous because anyone can have have different patterns
• size, continuous because when a porcupine is born the size is not the same as an adult
• colour, continous they might all look black and white but some of them can be a shade of black and brown
• quills, continuous becuase the quills can be any size range between the child and the adult 
• their faces, continuous because they might all look alike but everyone has a different face
• weight, continuous anyone weighs different they don't all eat at the same time and go to the bathroom at the same time, so everyone weighs differently even if it's just a little bit
• soles of feet, continuos everyone can have different soles of feet its continuous
•  teeth, continuous no one has the same teeth as someone else, even if everyone eats the same thing the shape of your teeth is not the same
•  weight of tail, continuous becuase everyone weighs differently no one is the same
• porcupine's eyesight, continuos it can be near sided it can be distance or it can can have perfect eyesight everyone can have different eyesight

One behavioual adapation that the organism displays and why it might behave this way in order to be successful?

They make hissing sounds with their quills and if the predator doesn't leave it charges backwards at the animal. That way the predator leaves it alone, which then he's successful at not getting eaten. Another defensive behavior is to hide in their holes facing in and erect spines so that they cannot be dislodged.

Two ways that humans impacted an African Porcupine in its natural habitat?

• One way that humans have impacted the porcupines is, they kill thousands of porcupines each year just for their quills they like to make ornaments and charms.
• Another way that humans have impacted the porcpines is by making roads, cars usually hit porcupines when they're crossing the road
• Also some farmer's hunt them because they eat they're crops.

MAP

Definitions of; extirpated, endangered, threatened and special concerns

Extirpated: a species has become extinct in one area at least but still exists in other area(s)

Endangered: a species whose numbers are so small it is at risk ofbecoming extinct or extirpated if extensive measures to protect it are not undertaken

Threatened: a species that is likely to become endangered if not protected in some way

Special Concern: a species not endangered or thretened but extremely uncommon or has unique highly specific habitat

What does it eat?

African Porcupine's eat roots, fruits, bark, berries and insects. Sometimes they gnaw on the bones to sharpen their incisor teeth and to obtain calcium at the same time.

How does it interact with other animals?

The animal reaches its back and the quills stiffen when danger is near. The quills are attached loosely to the skin. If the enemy does not leave the porcupine alone, it smacks the attacker with its tail and leaves quills in the animals face.

Where is an African porcupine from, and what does it do?

It is found in African Savannah . These porcupines find shelter in caves, rock crevices, holes or burrows that they might have dug. They may also find shelter in abandoned aardvark holes. Porcupines are generally inactive during the day sleeping in self excavated burrows, rock cavities, under boulder heaps or in river thickets with several exits.  It spends much of its time eating. This animal sleeps during the day and eats at night.

One behavioural adaptation that the organism displays and why it might behave this way in order to be successful?

An African Porcupine acts very fast when predators are around. They rattle when shaken, serving as a warning to potential predators. If that doesn't work, the predator may attempt to charge backwards at its predators. That's one of the behavioural adaptation that an African Porcupine displays when predators try to kill them.

Two Structural Adaptations and how they help the organisms compete for resources

They have long quills. They're sharp they help this oprganism defend itself aginst predators which helps the organism survive. They also have rodent jaws. They use them to chisel away at a surface requires muscles that forcefully brings the lower jaw forward.