ORDER

Rodentia (rodents)

FAMILY

Erethizontidae (new world porcupines)

HABITAT AND RANGE

The common porcupine can be found in most of Canada and the western United States south to Mexico. In the eastern United States, it can be found in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and New England. The common porcupine lives in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests. In the west, it can be found in scrubby areas.

IDENTIFICATION

The porcupine is a rodent. It has black to brownish-yellow fur and strong, short legs. It has hairless soles on its feet that help it climb trees. It has a round body, small ears and a small head. The most recognizable feature of the porcupine is its quills. A porcupine may have as many as 30,000 quills. The quills are hairs with barbed tips on the ends. Quills are solid at the tip and base and hollow for most of the shaft. The porcupine has quills on all parts of its body, except for its stomach. The longest quills are on its rump. The shortest quills are on its cheeks.

DIET

The common porcupine is an herbivore. It eats leaves, twigs and green plants like skunk cabbage and clover. In the winter, it may eat bark. It often climbs trees to find food. It is mostly nocturnal, but will sometimes forage for food in the day.

REPRODUCTION AND LIFESPAN

Porcupines mate in late summer and early fall. Porcupines are very vocal during mating season. Males often fight over females. The male performs an elaborate dance and sprays urine over the head of the female. Seven months after mating the female gives birth to a single baby. When the baby is born, its quills are soft. They harden about an hour after birth. The baby is begins to forage for food after only a couple of days. The baby will stay with its mother for about six months. Porcupines are fully grown after 4 years and can live 12-17 years in the wild.

NOTES

The porcupine’s one true predator is the fisher which is able to flip the porcupine on its back and attack the soft stomach. Despite myths, porcupines cannot shoot their quills. The quills do, however, come off of its body with barbs that make them hard to remove. Porcupines are nocturnal, and sleep during the day in a hollow log or crevice. They may have several dens in their range.