SummarySix male and four female adult Cape porcupines (Hystrix africaeaustralis) were radiotracked between July 1989 and June 1990 in a southern African savanna in order to investigate their social organization and space-use patterns. They lived in family groups based upon monogamous adult pairs. Pair members shared burrows and home range areas and all pairs were stable for the duration of the study. It is suggested that the occurrence offamily groups is largely dependent on the opportunities available for mature offspring to disperse from their natal group. Individual home ranges occupied the same general location throughout the year although the exact area used varied from month to month and most activity was concentrated in a relatively small portion of a potentially larger area. Natural foragers had significantly larger home ranges in winter than in summer. Crop foragers exhibited no significant seasonal difference in range size.Home range overlap between natural foraging neighbours was greatest in winter but even then was not extensive, there being little overlap between neighbouring 95'/"0 and 90% home ranges. It is therefore suggested that porcupines are territorial, maintaining a small, exclusive territory within a larger, non-exclusive home range. Neighbours rarely encountered one another in the areas of overlap and territories were probably maintained by scent marking rather than through direct interactions. :2 N. U Corbet and R. J. Van ;tarde nourrissaient en nature disposaiellt (rLll1 territoire significativement plus vaste en hiver qu'en ete alors que ceux qui se nourrissaient sur les cultures ne presentaient pas de difference significative dans ce domaine.Le recouvrement des espaces vitaux des animaux qui se nourrissaient en nature ctait plus important en hiver qu'en ete, mais meme alors il n'etait pas tres grand, car il y avait peu de recouvrement entre 90 a 95(% des espaces vitaux avoisinants. C'est pourquoi on suggere que les porcs-epics sont territoriaux, et conservent un petit territoire exclusifinclus dans un espace vital plus etendu mais non exclusif. Les voisins se rencontrent rarement dans les endroits de recouvre ment, ct les territoires sont probablement gardes au moyen de marques olfactives plutoL que par des interactions directes.