Colombia loves to call itself a biodiversity powerhouse, and 2025 brought fresh proof. A team of researchers announced Coendou vossi, a new porcupine species that exists only inside the country’s borders.
The tiny climber adds color to the national mammal list and reminds everyone that even well‑known groups such as rodents still keep big secrets hidden in branches and museum drawers.
A new porcupine after 126 years
Before this find, Colombia had six recognized porcupine species, grouped in the genus Coendou, with some described from Colombian type specimens and others from neighboring countries.
Coendou vossi becomes the seventh porcupine known for the country and the first new species of this group described from Colombian territory in 126 years.
That long gap shows how rare such announcements are. Many scientists expected birds, frogs, or insects to deliver the next surprise, not a spiny mammal hanging from dry‑forest branches.
The description, now published in the Journal of Mammalogy, involved specialists linked to universities in Colombia, Europe, the United States, and Australia, plus the Humboldt Institute.
From ‘one wide species’ to three different lineages
The story began in 2018, when several researchers re‑examined Coendou quichua, a porcupine believed to range widely across Ecuador, Panama, and Colombia. Something did not quite fit.
Porcupines from Colombia’s Caribbean dry forests and the Magdalena valley looked and measured differently from Andean animals, even though they shared the same name on labels.
To test that hunch, the team gathered specimens from classic museums abroad, such as the American Museum of Natural History in New York, London’s Natural History Museum, and the Swedish Museum of Natural History.
They added skins and skulls from national collections in Bogota, Villa de Leyva, Manizales, and Bucaramanga, plus fresh material collected in the field.
DNA sequencing, measurements, and biogeographic analysis revealed that “Coendou quichua” was actually a complex of three lineages: Ecuadorian Andean quichua, Choco‑Darien Coendou rothschildi, and the new Coendou vossi from Colombia’s Caribbean and Magdalena regions.
What Coendou vossi looks like and where it lives
Coendou vossi is smaller than several of its cousins, with a body length of around 26 to 33 centimeters and a tail that makes up more than 70% of its total length, a perfect tool for climbing trees.
Its quills are bi‑ or tricolored, starting with a light base and turning darker toward the tip, while the back shows sparse dark brown fur hidden under longer spines.
On the cheeks, shorter three‑colored quills create a distinctive facial look. Like other Coendou species, it is nocturnal, herbivorous, and mostly solitary, spending much of its life above ground.
The species inhabits humid and dry forests in the inter‑Andean Magdalena valley and Colombia’s Caribbean region, with records in departments such as Caldas, Cesar, Cundinamarca, Santander, Sucre, and Tolima.
Why a small porcupine matters for ecosystems
Rodents may not get the same public attention as big cats or condors, yet they are workhorses in many ecosystems. Medium and large species, including porcupines and pacas, help disperse seeds and shape forest regeneration.
They are also key prey for jaguars, pumas, large raptors, and snakes, forming an essential link in food webs that keep populations balanced and habitats healthy.
Porcupines from the genus Coendou share traits such as strong incisors, tree‑living habits, and diets based mainly on leaves, fruits, and bark. Their presence can indicate relatively intact forest structure.
However, scientists still know little about the conservation status of many species, including Coendou vossi, because nocturnal and arboreal animals are harder to detect in standard surveys.
What the discovery says about Colombia’s biodiversity knowledge
According to “Atlas de la Biodiversidad Colombiana: grandes roedores,” rodents are the second most diverse mammal order in Colombia, with at least 137 species grouped into four suborders and around 60 genera.
Hector E. Ramirez‑Chaves and colleagues argue that groups such as rodents have been historically overlooked, leading to underestimates of real diversity and gaps in conservation planning.
The discovery of Coendou vossi shows the value of museum collections and modern tools like DNA analysis for revealing hidden species, even in relatively well‑studied animal groups.
It also underlines the need to protect dry forests and inter‑Andean habitats, which face strong pressure from agriculture, ranching, and urban expansion across the country.
A colorful reminder to keep exploring
Coendou vossi may be small and shy, but its long tail and colorful spines carry a loud message. Colombia still has much to learn about the animals that move through its tree branches at night.
Keeping that curiosity alive, while strengthening research, collections, and habitat protection, will decide whether future generations meet this endemic porcupine in living forests or only as a label in a drawer.