The Indian Crested Porcupine has a head and body length can range from 23 to 36 inches; tail length from 3 to 6 inches, and weight from 22 to 66 pounds. The head, neck, shoulders, limbs and underside of the body are covered with coarse, dark brown or black bristles. There are long quills along the head, nape and back, and these quills can be taised into a crest. The sides and back half of the body are covered with stout, cylindrical quills up to 14 inches long, and mostly marked with alternating light and dark bands. There may be some longer, more slender, and more flexible quills, usually all white. The rattle quills of the short tail are well developed. These rattle quills are located at the end of the tail. They are slender for most of their length but are of much greater diameter for the last fifth. The expanded portion is hollow and thin-walled, so that several quills vibrating together produce a hiss-like rattle. The broad forefoot has four well-developed digits, each equipped with a thick claw, and the hind foot has five digits. The eyes and external ears are very small. The facial region of the skull is inflated by pneumatic cavities, and the nasal bones are enlarged. Females have two or three pairs of lateral thoracic mammae.