Porcupine predators include great horned owls, bobcats, coyotes and fishers. It is during these actions that a predator may get a face-full of quills contrary to popular belief, the porcupine does not throw the quills at the attacker, but they are loosely attached to the skin so it may appear to an observer and an attacker that they have been ejected. If that fails to convince the attacker, the porcupine will turn its back, raise its quills and lash its tail. ![]() When confronted, they will chatter their teeth and produce a chemical odor to warn the predator. They will come in handy as the porcupine matures, as they are its only line of defense. The newborn’s quills begin to harden an hour after birth. The young are born with a full set of teeth and with open eyes, and although they can eat solid food immediately, they will nurse for four months. Gestation lasts 205 to 217 days, resulting in the birth of a single young in the spring or early summer. During mating, which usually takes place in a tree, the pair will flatten their quills against their bodies to prevent injury. For them, mating has taken place in the fall and early winter after an elaborate courtship involving extensive vocalizations and a courtship dance. Unlike many animals that take their cues from the lengthening days of spring in the northern hemisphere as the approach of mating season, some female porcupines have spent the winter pregnant. They do not hibernate, but stay active through the winter months. As winter approaches, they may join other porcupines in a den for the winter, such as in a downed tree or a hollow log. They are prodigious and adept tree climbers, using long, curved claws on their feet to ascend into the canopy in search of buds or leaves. In spring and summer, they shift to berries, seeds, grasses, leaves, roots and stems. They may even girdle a tree, causing long-lasting damage or even the death of the tree. For example, in the winter, they often consume evergreen needles and inner bark of trees. The porcupine’s preferred habitat is mixed conifer-deciduous woodlands, where they will feed on a wide variety of plant material that changes with the seasons. A porcupine’s presence is often a surprise to humans due to the animal’s solitary nature and mostly-nocturnal behaviors. In Maryland, it is found in the western counties of Allegany, Garrett, Washington and Frederick. It is not found in the Great Plains and apparently is no longer found in the southeast. It is also found along the west coast as far south as northern Mexico, including the desert southwest. Its range includes most of the continent, stretching from Alaska in the northwest, through the Great Lakes area, to the Canadian maritime provinces in the east and south to Virginia. In fact, it is the second largest rodent native to North America only the beaver is larger. Porcupines generally live 5-7 years in the wild.However, the quills are only one feature of this rodent. The most prominent are fishers (mustelids similar to cat-sized weasels), mountain lions, and great horned owls. There are very few predators that prey on porcupines. ![]() They are excellent climbers, but clumsy and slow-moving on the ground. They eat bark and tender shoots from trees, but not their home tree. Porcupines generally select a “home tree” where they sleep. North American porcupines are herbivores, eating bark, stems, fruit, leaves, and other plants.Īt the Sanctuary, we feed our porcupines fruits, vegetables, and special rodent chow. You’re not likely to see one, because they live in trees and they are primarily nocturnal, but you may see the damage they’ve done to trees by eating the bark. Porcupines are common in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. In addition to the quills, porcupines also use a strong unpleasant odor to warn away predators. ![]() Their front teeth have a reddish-orange color from iron oxide in the enamel. Like most rodents, their teeth grow throughout their lives. When the barbs stick in your skin, the quill detaches from the porcupine. Porcupines cannot throw their quills! You must touch a porcupine to get quilled. Their quills are coated with antibiotics to prevent the porcupine from getting infected if it ever quills itself by falling out of trees (which happens fairly often). The quills are modified hollowed hairs tipped with tiny barbs that stick in any animal that attacks them. North American porcupines can weigh as much as 40 pounds.Īn adult porcupine has about 30,000 quills, which cover its entire body except for its belly, face, and paws. The capybara, which lives in South America, takes first place. Porcupines are the second-largest rodent in North America (the largest is the beaver), and the third-largest overall.
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