The black-tailed hairy dwarf porcupine ranges from eastern Venezuela through the Guianas to northern Brazil. It is nocturnal and arboreal, using mainly the canopy of lowland rainforest.
It has yellowish-gray, two-colored spines. Its tail is as long as or shorter than the body, with fur at the base and a bare tip.
It is active at night, climbs trees, and mainly uses the canopy. It is recorded mostly in lowland floodplain rainforest.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.