The elegant-spined Atlantic spiny-rat has stiff hairs on its back and sides that look like spines. It occurs in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, and a study also documented its behavior in captivity.
Its back and sides are darker than its underside, and short hairs cover the tip of the tail. Its spine-like appearance comes from modified, stiff hairs on the back and sides; these are less robust than true spines, and their function is unknown.
In a captive study of 16 adults observed individually in boxes, locomotion and remaining motionless accounted for more than 90% of the observed time. Grooming was also recorded, but behavior in the wild is not known.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.