North American Porcupines
Discover one of nature’s most iconic defense mechanisms. We are home to female rescue ‘Nettles’.
Quills, quills, quills, there are a lot of quills
North American porcupines are famous for their quills, and for good reason – these sharp spikes burrow into an attacker’s skin and do not come out easily. Contrary to popular belief, porcupines do not shoot their quills, but having 30,000 quills that grow continuously means that they detach easily. This defense mechanism not only deters attackers, but the colour of quills also helps a porcupine blend into its forest home.
- IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (at relatively low risk of extinction)
- Type: Mammal
- Habitat: Forests of Canada, the United States, and Mexico
- Diet: Herbivore – fruit, leaves, and buds
- Size: 88 to 91 centimetres long; 20- to 25-centimetre long tail
- Weight: 5.4 to 15.8 kilograms
facts about our animals
Fun Facts about North American Porcupines
Porcupines may sleep in trees.
Porcupines have soft hair and long guard hairs.
They are good swimmers.
Their courtship involves vocalizations, a dance, and the male urinating on the female.
A female usually only gives birth to one porcupette.
Babies are born with soft quills, which harden after just hours or days after birth.
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