Decoding Ancestors: The Evolutionary Solutions of North American Porcupine

A nearly complete fossil of an extinct North American porcupine has helped researchers resolve a long-standing debate about how modern North American porcupines evolved from their ancestors. Published in Current Biology, the study reveals evolutionary traits that distinguish them from their Neotropical cousins.

Researchers have unraveled decades of paleontological debate with the discovery of a rare, nearly complete fossil of an extinct North American porcupine. The breakthrough study, published in Current Biology, traces the evolutionary lineage of the North American porcupine, revealing their modern traits appeared much later than previously believed.

Nashville S. Vitek and her colleagues at Stony Brook University identified key evolutionary details by comparing bone structures across different species from North and South America. Their research suggests that, around 10 million years ago, what we now recognize as North American porcupines still closely resembled their Neotropical relatives.

This significant finding was made possible by a nearly complete skeleton unearthed in Florida in 2005. The fossil showed traits of both modern North American porcupines and their Neotropical cousins. This discovery concludes that the distinctive features of modern North American porcupines, such as their jaw and tail, are relatively recent evolutionary developments.

(With inputs from agencies.)