Check out this month’s Introductory animal profile for the North American Porcupine! A big thanks to Eliana, one of our Youth Ambassadors, for putting this together!
Porcupines are amazing creatures, and there are a lot of fascinating facts that people can learn about them! For example, did you know that porcupines are actually large rodents? Read on to find out more about these fantastic mammals!
North American Porcupines are usually two to three feet long (about as long as a baseball bat), and weigh twenty-two to twenty-seven pounds (about the weight of a small dog). A porcupine has around 30,000 quills that are made from keratin, just like your own nails, except quills are sharp and barbed, which means that there are tiny pieces of keratin that point backwards and make it difficult to pull a quill out once it has poked another animal! Unlike what you may have heard, porcupines cannot shoot their quills, but they do fall out of a porcupine’s skin very easily once they have stabbed an attacker. They also have an interesting patch of skin on their backs called a “rosette.” This spot on a porcupine’s back is also used for defense, because it makes a strong, stinky odor that is used to discourage predators.
North American Porcupines are arboreal, which means that they like to spend time in trees. Although they enjoy climbing, North American Porcupines don’t have a prehensile tail like their relatives that live in South America. (“Prehensile” is just a fancy word for a body part that can wrap around objects and hold on tight, like a monkey tail). With a tail that cannot grip, it’s harder for these porcupines to avoid falling out of trees. If they do fall, they sometimes end up poking themselves with their own quills, which is known as “self-quilling.” But don’t worry- they have developed an incredible defense! Porcupines actually make an antibiotic that coats their quilts so that if they survive the fall, this antibiotic coating can help protect them against infection! North American Porcupines not only climb trees, but they are also decent swimmers. Though they are usually rather slow creatures, they can run fairly fast, too- up to six miles per hour! That’s almost as fast as you can run- maybe even a little faster!
Porcupines can be little chatterboxes, and make a wide range of fun, silly sounds! Sometimes they make a sound like a cough. They will also grunt, groan, whine, and a screech. When they feel threatened, they will click their teeth together to warn predators, but they will only attack if they feel cornered and threatened with no other option to defend themselves against aggressive behavior. Bobcats, lynx, coyotes, wolves, great horned owls, wolverines, mountain lions and fishers (a type of wild mammal) all like to eat porcupines, who defend themselves by turning their backs to their attackers since that is where they have the highest number of quills. They stomp their feet and stand their quills up on end, rattling them together as a warning sign. If they have no other option, they will run backwards towards their attacker, but they will take the first chance they get to avoid fighting, preferring to run away and escape instead.
North American Porcupines live in much of Canada, the United States, and down into parts of Mexico. They can live for up to twenty years in the wild. Porcupines are herbivores and mostly eat pine needles and tree bark in the winter, while the rest of the year they add berries, seeds, leaves, stems, and grasses to their diet. The outside layer of their teeth is orange colored, and they always crave wood to chew on because their two front teeth never stop growing.
Mating season is from July through September. During this time they make a lot of noise to attract other porcupines. Once two porcupines find each other, the male will do a special dance to impress his lady friend. Seven months later, their babies are born! There are usually up to three babies in a litter. A baby porcupine is called a “porcupette,” while a group of porcupines is called a “prickle!” A newborn baby porcupine’s quills are not sharp or hard. They are born with quills that are soft and flexible, but that doesn’t last for long! Their quills will harden after about an hour. Within two days, the babies will start to look for food. They stay with their mama until about six months after birth, and then they are ready to go off on their own!
Porcupines have a special place in nature. They help other creatures by eating trees, which provides a habitat for all kinds of creatures. Also, when porcupines abandon their dens (which are often located in a hollow tree) it makes the perfect nest for birds. Fortunately, the North American Porcupine is not endangered, but there are always ways to help protect them! If you see a porcupine, just stay away and respect its space. Porcupines are not aggressive and do not want to hurt humans. They are harmless, curious creatures! Sometimes they are targeted by humans because they eat trees. This is unnecessary- there are better options, and it is best to contact your local rehabber if you feel you have a nuisance porcupine on your hands. They are also at risk of being hit by cars. Just stay aware and keep an eye out while driving or walking out in nature, not only for the sake of porcupines, but for all creatures big and small!
Glossary
Arboreal: describes an animal that likes to spend time and live in trees Herbivore: an animal that feeds on plants instead of other animals Keratin: a protein that makes up parts of the body like hair, nails and quills Mammal: a warm blooded animal with a spine that nurses its baby, feeding it milk Predator: an animal that hunts other animals for food Prehensile: a body part that is used for wrapping around and gripping